Open Mic Night
by xcountrygurlx
Summary: Zoe returns to Bluebell and hears how Wade really feels about her in a song he's singing at the Rammer Jammer. Will it be that easy though? Will they be able to overcome their past mistakes and be a serious couple?
1. Beautiful by Damien Leith

Open Mic Night

My guitar was in its usual place when I arrived for my Friday shift at the Rammer Jammer. When I bought the place, I implemented an open mic night every Friday, and then a band would play Saturday nights. It's become a tradition over the past few months for me to play every Friday. Everyone seems to enjoy it, and it helps me get out some of my balled up emotions without having to actually tell anyone about it. They all knew anyway, but I would never admit to anyone that I missed Zoe Hart. She's been gone for almost six months now, and I didn't know what to do with myself. You'd think that since I am a new business owner that I would busy, but it seems far from it. Sure, I was taking a few classes in Mobile a few nights a week, but I try to work the night shift at the Rammer Jammer to keep myself from my own thoughts. It kept me busy, and it was a nice distraction so I didn't mope around the house, reminding myself how stupid I was.

I put my jacket in the back and rolled up the sleeves of my red flannel. The dinner rush was over, so there wasn't much food being ordered, just drinks. I grabbed my notepad though, just incase. I glanced at the watch around my wrist, 8 pm. Y shift ended at 2, but I could tell it was going to be a long night already. I walked out to the bar and looked over the sign up sheet that had been sitting out since last week's open mic night.

"Anyone good tonight?" Shelley peered over my shoulder.

"Just the regulars, but you never know. There might be a spontaneous volunteer. Maybe Tom will do another drunk rendition of Royals," I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. That was one of the few moments in the past six months that I had really laughed, and as ironic as it was, it was all thanks to Tom Long. What a guy.

"That would be a good ending to the summer, don't you think?" Shelley laughed and walked away with a platter of drinks. I watched as she carried them to a table and sighed. These people certainly made the day-to-day easier, especially the people I worked with. They were a huge part of helping me realize that there is life after Zoe Hart. I just wasn't too sure of that yet.

"Alright Bluebell, first up tonight we've got George Tucker. Give him a hand." I announced when I reached the microphone. He usually sang originals, which everyone liked. Another way that I would never compare to Golden Boy, I only sang covers. I had no issue with George, he was a great guy, but his life just seemed too perfect. He was engaged to my ex-wife, talk about a weird situation, and I was going to be the best man at their wedding in a few months. They all clapped and George went to stage. I returned to my place behind the bar and took a few people's orders. I was too busy getting their drinks than actually listening to Tucker, but I wasn't surprised when everyone started dancing to his upbeat song. He was happy though, so I wasn't going to hold it against him. It wasn't his fault that I wasn't happy. It was my own. He played a few more songs before he put his guitar down and walked off the stage. I hopped back up there to announce the next person.

"Next we have a woman whose voice can call the angels, Wanda Long!" Wanda sheepishly got onto the makeshift stage I had built and sat on a stool. Her voice was great, really, but she was always so nervous. Tom stood right up front at the stage, which warmed my heart. He loved her so much, and would support her through anything, but it just made my heart ache more.

"What can I get ya guys tonight?" I leaned over the bar as George and Tansy took seats next to each other at the bar.

"Just 2 beers for now." Tansy answered for the both of them and I popped the top off of them and slid them over.

"So Wade, when are you gonna get up there?" George asked after taking a sip of his beer.

"Well we can't all be as perfect as you Tucker," I joked and rolled my eyes in good fun, "but I'll get up there sometime before the night's over. You never know, might be singin' bout you Tans." I winked at her and walked off to help another customer.

"Yeah right, we all know who you're singin' about up there Wade. Maybe one day you'll surprise us all though." She yelled over to me. I cracked a half smile.

"Not tonight I won't." I walked back to the kitchen to start some fries. I could hear that Brick and Bill were on stage. They were a crowd favorite too, an unlikely pair, but their voices went well together for the kind of music they were singing.

As the night went on, the singers became few and far between, so I decided to take the stage around 10. I grabbed my guitar and sat on the stool.

I didn't say an introduction, in what Shelley would call "true Wade fashion." I just started to strum the chords.

_I walked this earth to find the road in which you're leading_

_I found the path that brings me home and keeps me breathing_

_You fill the room with something only angels see_

_Nobody knows me like you do and leaves me weak._

My eyes stayed fixated on my guitar because I knew I had a guilty look on my face that symbolized my knowledge that all of Bluebell knew who I was singing for.

_You are so beautiful_

_You're all that I know; all that is true_

_You are so beautiful_

I gained more confidence and picked my head up, but my eyes were closed. I was feeling the music come through me and in that second I felt that feeling I felt every Friday since she left. Nostalgia. Guilt. Pain.

My eyes opened when I heard the bell over the door chime, notifying us that there was a new customer. Out of instinct, I kept my eyes fixed on who was joining us. I was shocked to say the least when my eyes were met with big brown ones. It was a weird sensation; they were familiar, but distant. Like so much has happened since I was previously acquainted with them. I struggled, but had to continue my song as to not embarrass myself. Except I could feel the heat creep up my neck as I kept my gaze fixed on her. She wasn't trying to look away though, either.

_I found a place in life it's where I rest my head now_

_You opened up a side of me and let it out_

_What I believed is only half before I met you_

_I'd drop it all without a doubt_

_You are so beautiful_

_You're all that I know; all that is true_

_You are so beautiful_

She paused where she was, leaving her suitcase behind her. She was aware that everyone was watching her, including me. She didn't make a single move though, except for a small, sad, smile that made its way to her lips.

_And I know why it is_

_I'm... so taken, so easy and I can't hide it_

_The way I've been feeling you shine a light_

_You are so beautiful_

_You're all that I know; all that is true_

_You are so beautiful_

She wasn't her usual self, and I could tell automatically, without having a conversation with her. She was dressed different. She had on a pair of leggings, rain boots, and an oversized sweatshirt. Her glasses were resting on her nose, a rare occurrence. She had no makeup on, and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, probably from traveling most of the day.

_You are so beautiful_

_You're all that I want_

_So beautiful_

_So beautiful_

_So beautiful_

I strummed the last chord, but everyone remained silent. After a few seconds of awkward silence throughout the whole restaurant, someone saved me and started clapping. The rest of the people followed in suit and applauded, but I wasn't thinking about the applause, or work. She was the only thing on my mind.

I hopped off the stage and debated whether I should go confront her, or wait for her to come to me. I decided to wait for her to come to me because if I went to her now, it would be a very public ordeal. I scampered behind the bar and quickly looked for a distraction before anyone could mention her name to me. I filled up all of the empty glasses, even if they didn't ask for a refill. Hell, I would give it to them for free if they didn't want it, I just needed to make myself busy, make it seem like I wasn't waiting on her to come back.

I could hear everyone talking about her unannounced entrance, some seemed angry that she was back, while some didn't seem to mind. But I heard my name on all of their lips when they discussed her. I had to stretch my hearing to see what was going on between Dash and Zoe, the first to approach her.

"Well Dr. Hart! Look at what we have here! If I dare to be so rude, but what are you doing?" Zoe looked a little startled at all of the inquiries.

"I'm home, for good now."

"Well if you think this is your home, you better think again. You're going to have to do your hardest to get back in the good graces of the people of Bluebell. You left us without so much as an email and you expect to come back here after half a year and think all will be forgiven?" Lemon, of course, had to make herself the center of attention and be the first one to condemn her for her actions. Zoe nervously tucked her loose hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"About that, I'm really sorry guy-"

"Why did you come back now?" Dash interrupted Zoe's explanation.

"What do you mean? I came back because I was ready to come home."

"But why not three months ago like you said?" Someone from the crowd asked now.

"I had the intentions of coming back on time, like I said, but my mom got really sick. I couldn't leave. I came back as soon as I could." My heart broke for her when she said her last sentence. That meant that nothing was tying her to New York anymore, which only meant that her mom had passed.

Everyone who was upset seemed to cower away with their tails between their legs for being so intrusive and rude when she had clearly been through a tough time these past few months. She nervously played with the ends of her scarf while her eyes welled up with tears. Her mother was definitely not her favorite person, but if anyone knew how it felt to lose a parent, it was me.

Lavon stood up from his table and wrapped Zoe in a hug, and it brought a small amount of comfort to me that someone was making her feel at home. They whispered a few things, I'm guessing that he was telling her that she was free to again stay at the carriage house. He lifted her suitcase and took it out to his car while she tried to make her way to the bar. Shelley stopped her on her way over to me though, and I was thankful. I hadn't even thought about what I was going to say.

"Listen, maybe you should wait. He isn't in a great place right now. I'm glad you're back, and I'm sure he is too, but I'd wait for it to be more private than here, where everyone's listening…" Shelley informed Zoe, who nodded. She smiled at her, and thanked her, followed by a hug. Shelley went back to getting orders and Zoe bit her lip and looked like she was going to cry again. I wanted so bad to go over there and scoop her into my arms, but I knew I couldn't do that anymore.

Her eyes wandered the bar, searching for mine. She found them quickly and gave me another slight grin and shrugged her shoulders. I gave her a small smirk and nodded. Then, she turned around and left.

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I had been holding and sighed. I rubbed my head and took a second to regain my senses. The only thing I could do was go back to serving beers.

"Hey Wade, you alright?" Bill asked me as I grabbed him a beer. I nodded, said I was fine, and went back to work, acting like nothing had happened.

The next few hours went by painstakingly slow. There were only a few people left when I closed up since there weren't too many night owls in Bluebell. I locked the door behind me and tiredly walked to my car. I started it and drove the few minutes back to the plantation. I turned the car off and pulled the key out, daring to glance at the carriage house.

All of the lights were out, but that's what I had expected since it's 2 in the morning and she had been traveling for the better part of the day. I opened my car door and tried not to slam it, just incase it would wake her. I walked the short distance from my car to the bottom of the stairs to my porch. There she sat, on one of my couches on the porch, curled up and sleeping. I wonder how long she's been there? I panicked and didn't know if I should wake her or leave her there. I knew that since fall was upon us in Bluebell that the night had a chill to it, so if I wasn't going to wake her, I'd need to cover her with a blanket at least. I didn't need to make that decision though because she started to stir when I took the first step up to the porch.

"Wade…" She also seemed like she was at a loss for words when she realized where she was. I was frozen in place on the first step.


	2. Run by Matt Nathanson & Jennifer Nettles

Open Mic Night

"Uhh, hey Doc." I put my left hand behind my neck and rubbed it, not knowing what to do with my hands. I shoved the other one in my front pocket. She rubbed her eyes a few times and yawned once.

"Can we go inside?" I nodded and jogged up the few steps to the door. I held it open for her and she came down and sat on my couch.

"Uh, do you want something to drink? I don't have much, just beer?" I offered, not knowing what to do when she didn't say anything.

"Sure, a beer sounds good." She accepted and I got two from the fridge. So much for sleeping tonight…

"Listen, Doc, I'm sorry to hear about your mom…"

"How'd you know?" She asked me as she leaned back and rested her head back on the couch.

"Word travels fast in Bluebell." I was embarrassed to admit that I had been listening to her conversation.

"Yeah, that's one thing I didn't miss," she cracked a half smile before continuing, "but thank you, it's just tough, knowing you have zero family left."

"That's not true at all Zoe Hart. All of Bluebell is your family."

"They certainly have a funny way of showing it." She laughed and wiped some of her tears away.

"They were just shocked, I think. We all were. We weren't expecting you to come back."

"I had no reason to stay anymore." She shrugged and took a sip of her beer.

"How long ago?" I asked vaguely, not wanting to pry too much incase it made her more upset.

"She was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in late May. It was too far progressed though, they couldn't do anything. So I just had to sit there and watch her die for three months. I was praying that she would just die already because by the end of it, she couldn't talk or eat, she was in so much pain. It was terrible to watch. She finally passed last week. The funeral was yesterday, but my apartment was all but packed, ready to come home. All I had to do was sort through her things." There was a steady stream of tears coming now and that broke my heart that I couldn't comfort her anymore. I could only watch.

I couldn't handle just sitting by and doing nothing though, so I scooted over on the couch and put my arm around her and pulled her in close. I held her for a few minutes while she cried. That would explain the puffy eyes.

"Sorry, this is stupid, I don't know what I was thinking, you probably hate me." She pulled away and wiped her nose after she had calmed down.

"I could never hate you Zoe." I used her full name again so she got the point. I still loved her, but I didn't have the privilege to tell her that anymore.

"I'm sorry for the way we left things. I'm sorry that I just left and didn't say a proper goodbye. I'm sorry for everything, for pushing you, and-"

"Stop." I interrupted her and she shut up.

"I'm not mad Doc, at all. I mean, yeah these past six months have sucked, but it's not like you had no reason to leave, and stay there. It's my fault that you felt that you needed to leave, and I'll live with that forever. I chased you out of Bluebell because I'm a dick. I _was_ a dick." I emphasized the was because I wanted her to know that I was trying to be a better person for her.

"Well I've had six months to think about all of that, and I've gone over it time and time again in my head. And I forgive you for what you did. And I hope you forgive me."

"Of course I do Zo." I grabbed her hand and rubbed small circles on it.

"And before I left, I wanted to tell you that I loved you too, but I couldn't admit it to myself that I was completely in love, head over heels, for a guy who didn't feel the same way. I was embarrassed, that I wasn't good enough for you." That one hit home and made me feel really guilty.

"The reason I did it was because I knew I didn't deserve you. And I'm sorry for making you feel that way, but you have to understand that I was thinking the same thing. I was embarrassed because I was head over heels in love with a New York doctor, and I was a bartender. I didn't want to hold you back." I shrugged again and she let her head roll back. She took a deep sigh, pondering what to respond with.

"Can we just call it even? We both screwed up, and I just to have at least two friends in Bluebell." I could work with friends for now, even if it wasn't what I hoped for, it was a step.

"Yeah, friends." I gave her a half hug as she stood up and stretched.

"Well, I should get back, I don't want to keep you up all night." She grabbed her glasses off the coffee table, which had been discarded while she was crying.

"Okay," I said as I walked her to the front door. She turned around and smiled before walking out the door.

"Hey Doc!" I called out and she whipped around, "it's good to have you back!" She let a grin spread over her face for the first time since she arrived home. She turned back around and headed to her house. I shook my head and turned the lights off and climbed into bed, even though I knew that I wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.

I woke the next morning with a bit of a headache. I knew it was from the two hours of sleep I managed to get last night. I glanced at my clock and saw that it was 9. I had to be at the Rammer Jammer by 10, so I hopped in the shower and got dressed. I rubbed my hair with my towel and jogged to Lavon's. I ran in the back door and ran to the cabinet with the Poptarts. I picked out Brown Sugar Cinnamon, my favorite, and put them in the toaster. I was grabbing a cup of coffee when I heard Lavon coming down the stairs.

"Morning sunshine." I greeted him when he rolled his eyes. He wasn't a morning person to say the least.

"Why are you so cheery?" He grumbled, pouring himself a cup of coffee while I grabbed my Poptarts from the toaster.

"Why not? It's a beautiful day, the band's coming in soon, which means I'll be making tons of cash!" I took a few bites of my breakfast and he rolled his eyes again.

"Lavon Hayes thinks it's because a certain doctor is back in town."

"That might be a part of it too," I winked at him just as Zoe came bursting through the door. She was back to her normal attire, wearing a red sundress, strappy heels, and a face full of makeup.

"Lavon! Thank God I caught you! So since you're mayor and all, what are the chances that you can convince Brick to give me my old job back?"

"Probably pretty good, you know he secretly loves you Big Z." He smiled and she ran to the coffee machine.

"Hey! You guys drank all of the coffee!"

"Sorry Doc, that's what happens when you're the last to breakfast!" I laughed as she pouted.

"But I'm heading out, you can finish off my cup for me." I handed it too her and she happily accepted. I pulled my flannel on over my white t-shirt and tied my boots.

"If you want a proper breakfast, you can come to the finest establishment in Bluebell. We serve a great breakfast. And we have plenty of coffee," I winked at her before heading out the door. I knew the wink was suggestive, but it worked to my advantage because she smiled and blushed.

"I might just do that." She called after me.

I opened the Rammer Jammer happy as a clam, which didn't surprise Shelley, who was opening with me. She knew the reason for my happiness, as I assume the rest of the town did. Before any customers came in, we set up the tables with ketchup, salt and pepper, and the cook arrived. I turned the coffee on, but after that, there wasn't much for me to do. I picked up my guitar, which I often kept in the backroom. I didn't mind messing around with just Shelley. She was busy working anyway.

I strummed the guitar, not sure what to play. My heart had a million songs in mind, so I couldn't just pick one. One came to my mind that fit my situation, so I played without thinking.

_I wanna watch you undress_

_I wanna watch you glow_

_Let your hair down_

_All around, cover us both_

_You come in a wave_

_We crash and we roll_

_You surround me, pull me, drown me, swallow me whole_

_You turn, turn, turn, turning me on _

_Like a slow fire burn _

_Know that it's wrong _

_Still I run, run, run, run right into you _

_Yeah, I run, run, run, run right into you_

_You pull me in close _

_You buckle my knees _

_I shake and I shiver just to feel you breathe _

_You trace my lines_

_Stirring my soul _

_Shoot sparks at the heart of the world and I watch it explode _

_You turn, turn, turn, turning me on _

_Like a slow fire burn _

_Know that it's wrong _

_Still I run, run, run, run right into you _

_Yeah, I run, run, run, run right into you_

_I'm amazing when you're beside me_

_I am so much more_

_And I feel your fingers_

_Pound like thunder_

_I am so much more_

_So much more_

_Turn, turn, turn, turning me on _

_Like a slow fire burn _

_Know that it's wrong _

_Still I run, run, run, run right into you _

_Yeah, I run, run, run, run right into you_

_Turn, turn, turn, turning me on _

_Like a slow fire burn _

_Know that it's wrong _

_Still I run, run, run, run right into you _

_Yeah, I run, run, run, run right into you_

_Still I run, run, run, run right back to you_

_Turning me on_

_Like a slow fire burn_

"Wade Kinsella you keep singing like that and you're going to get yourself in trouble." Shelley yelled from the other end of the bar.

"I'm just messin' around Shel!"

"So ya gonna sing her a love song next Friday?" She mocked me and I rolled my eyes.

"I guess you're gonna have to wait and see like everyone else, huh?" I laughed, but she had a good point, that was my usual thing to do, but now that she would be present, I was a bit nervous. But she had seen my last performance, so who knows?

Our first customers were coming in for the day, so I grabbed my notepad and a pen. I took their order and we got progressively busier.

"All out of sorts today Wade?" Brick joked as I took his order.

"Nope, same old Wade. Didn't even see her yet much." I lied, even though he knew better. He just nodded and ordered. I could hear her coming in by the clacking of her heels against the hardwood floor. She sat at the bar.

"What can I get for ya Doc?" I leaned over the bar, resting my elbows down.

"Just two scrambled eggs por favor." She smiled, not even looking at the menu.

"You sure? You haven't even looked at the new menu."

"I don't need to look at the menu to know what I want Wade. But I do like what you've done with the place. It's really nice in here." She was getting her first look around when it wasn't dark and crowded.

"Well thanks, it's kinda my pride and joy." She smiled and I went back to put her order in. I poured her a coffee and placed it in front of her. I got her eggs about two minutes later.

"Not service like that in New York, huh Doc?" I smirked and walked to greet some people who had just come in the door. She just shook her head.

"So Wade, you wanna serenade us again this morning? Your voice is something else, I could listen to you sing all day." Shula Whitaker shouted across the restaurant when she spotted me.

"Well thank you Ms. Whitaker, but I don't want you all to go thinking I'm some pop star like Tucker over here." I motioned the George and Tansy, who had just walked in. I walked back behind the bar and Zoe waved me over to her.

"You know, I could listen to you sing all day too. You've got some real talent Kinsella." She winked at me and now I knew how she must've felt this morning when I winked at her. My knees were weak and shaking. I took all I had to muster a response.

"Oh, gee, well thanks Doc. I don't do much, just Friday's Open Mic Night. It's nothing special."

"I thought it was." She gave me another sad smile and grabbed her purse from the floor. She handed me a ten dollar bill.

"Keep it, well for now at least. I have to go beg for my job back, so I might come back needed that money later when Brick says no." She sarcastically said and hopped off the barstool. I smirked and watched her leave. Maybe she could listen to me sing all day, but I could definitely watch her walk away all day.

Lavon came in around noon for lunch and informed me that he was planning a bit of a welcome home dinner for Zoe tonight at his place, and that I should come by. I told him I would be there and he nodded. Now my mind was racing of what I should wear tonight. We would undoubtedly be heading back to the Rammer Jammer after dinner to see the band play, so it had to be a bit nicer. I stopped myself mid-thought and automatically scolded myself. Why in the world was I worrying about what to wear. I shook my head at myself and went back to work. I left around 2, once Wanda came in. I stopped at the Dixie Stop before heading home.

I took another shower and shaved. I actually brushed my hair and put on cologne. Next, I got dressed. I had decided on my best jeans and a light blue button down. By the time I was done, it was 5, so I headed over to Lavon's, but not before grabbing my purchase from the Dixie Stop.

"Hey guys," I greeted as I saw Annabeth, Lavon, and Zoe outside. Lavon was standing at the grill, while Annabeth and Zoe were seated at the table near the pool, drinking wine. They all looked up.

"Hi Wade!" Annabeth was the first to greet me, and she stood and saw the flowers I was holding. She gave me a slight smile and told us she'd be right back.

"These are for you Doc, I uh, I just thought, since it's your welcome home dinner that these would show you I really am glad you're home." I said awkwardly, but she smiled and Lavon just shook his head and laughed to himself. I casually stepped forward and gave them to her and she smelled them.

"Well thank you, they're beautiful!" Just then, Annabeth came out with a vase filled with water.

"Here ya go Zoe," Zoe put the flowers in the vase and placed them on the table to take home with her later. Annabeth went back inside to check on the pie that was in the oven and the macaroni and cheese in the crockpot.

"So, how did it go with Brick?"

"It went as well as could be expected, he wasn't thrilled about having to clear out his workout room, but he was glad I was back I guess. I start Monday."

"Well congratulations. It was kinda weird having Brick stitch me up, but he sure wasn't as rough with me as you were." I clicked my tongue and she giggled.

"Well maybe if you were a little more careful you wouldn't need stitched up in the first place." She tilted her head, in an 'I win' kind of way. I just enjoyed seeing her smile again.

"So are you gonna come with us to see the band tonight?"

"Of course, I wanna see you work your magic behind the bar too." She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well you might just be surprised Doc." I played along with her banter until Annabeth joined us.

"So Big Z, when is the rest of your stuff coming?"

"It should be here in a few days. They're driving it down, so sometime soon, I hope. I slept in a sleeping bag on my bed last night because my sheets are with my other stuff. It was like my first night in Bluebell." She laughed at the memory and caught my eye, both of us having kept the secret of our indiscretions her first night here.

"So Wade, what's this band like tonight?"

"They're not a huge time band, but I've heard some of their stuff, it'll be fun I think." I responded to Lavon, who was getting to steaks off the grill. Zoe and I followed Annabeth inside to help her bring out all of the other dishes. I grabbed the crockpot, which was the heaviest, Annabeth had the pie, and Zoe was carrying the salad bowl.

"This looks so good guys, thank you. I can't tell you the last time I had a home-cooked meal." Zoe said as she filled her plate. She piled on more than I've ever seen before.

"Of course, we're just happy to have you home!" Annabeth responded in her usual cheery tone. I filled my plate, but before digging in, I looked around quickly. I wanted to remember this, how this moment felt. It's been six months before I've had the comfortable company of Zoe, Annabeth, and Lavon. The sun was still pretty bright in the sky, but I knew it would be dark in only a few hours. We ate and talked, and drank, of course. After dinner, Zoe helped Annabeth clean up.

"So, what's the Zoe/Wade status?" Lavon questioned as he sipped his beer.

"Friends. For now."

"For now?"

"I'm workin on it, alright?" I half smiled and looked out on the plantation. I thought about all of the memories I had here, not just with Zoe, but with Lavon, and Tucker. I noticed the end of the lake far off in the distance and remembered how long it's been since I've been down to that part of the lake.

"Hey Doc, wanna take a walk?" I held my hand out towards her when she returned from inside.

"Sure." She took my hand and looked back at Annabeth, who I could've sworn gave her a thumbs up.

"I forgot how beautiful it is down here, even if it is hot." She looked down at her tank top and shorts.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda forgot too. Haven't been down here in awhile." We finally reached the lake and she sat on the small bank. I took the spot next to her.

"So…" I trailed off and she smiled.

"So…" She repeated, looking down at the sand.

"I really did miss you Doc. Six months is a long time."

"I missed you too Wade. A lot." She looked up at me, but I couldn't meet her gaze.

"So I've got a question for you," she started and I nodded, "last night, when I came into the Rammer Jammer, you were singing, and I know this is going to sound completely egotistical, but I couldn't help but feel that it was about me…" She trailed off. Again, I could feel the heat climbing up my neck to my face. I awkwardly tugged at the bottom of my shirt.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I laughed awkwardly, obviously embarrassed.

"That's sweet. I wish I could hear you sing more often." She squeezed my hand, but I still didn't want to look at her. I knew if I did, then I wouldn't be able to stop.

"Shoulda heard me this morning at the Rammer Jammer." I confessed.

"Wade, I just want you to know-"

"I've been singin' bout you every Friday for the past six months, actually." I cut her off and she seemed surprised. I knew that could've been a bad move, saying that. I stood up from the sand and she did the same.

"Really?" She asked and I nodded, finally meeting her eyes. Her eyes looked happy again, different from last night. They were the eyes I was used to. She was searching my eyes for some sort of clue as to how I was feeling. I couldn't take it anymore and was about to tear my eyes away. Before I could though, she launched herself against my body and crashed her lips onto mine. My eyes closed, and my mind was a blur. It all happened so fast, but I held the back of her head as she kissed me and I kissed her back. The past six months, this was what I longed for. Her lips on mine again, and finally, they were.

**A/N: Song – Run by Matt Nathanson and Jennifer Nettles. Every chapter is going to have a song featured in it, and that song will be the title. I don't own the song or the show. **


	3. Carolina by Parmalee

"I'm sorry, I just got caught up in the moment, I wasn't thinking, it was stupi-" I kissed her again.

"What are you doing?"

"You were freakin' out. I thought I'd snap you out of it with my generic beer breath," I quoted myself from almost 2 years before. A smile slowly spread across her lips as she remembered the Founder's Day parade right after she first arrived in Bluebell.

"That was a good day."

"I don't know what day you're remembering Doc, but it was not a good day. You almost ruined the parade and everyone in town practically hated you for it."

"I know," She stopped to laugh, "That was awful." She agreed. We laughed for a few minutes before thunder cracked and it started to pour.

"Wade…" She trailed off, getting serious. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

"I love you. I still love you, and I have a feeling I always will love you. I missed you so much when I was gone. You were all I could think about. And if the offer still stands," She was shouting so I could hear her over the pounding of the rain. It was getting pretty bad, but that's how Alabama storms were.

"The offer that I made before you left? I told you, everything I've done since, everything that I want to do is to be that man that you saw me as. And I've never meant anything more in my life. I told you that day that I was ready to be that man for you. I've never stopped." She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss me and I bent my head down. Our lips met again as the rain poured down on us, but that didn't stop me. Eventually, we pulled apart and she looked up.

"We should go get changed if we ever want to make it to the Rammer Jammer on time!" She yelled and started running. I ran after her and threw her over my shoulder. She laughed the whole time. We went back to her place where she fixed her hair and makeup. She changed into a long sleeve shirt with a short black skirt.

"You look beautiful." I told her as she emerged from her room to the sitting room, where I was waiting for her. Sure, I've seen her change countless times, but we were taking things slow and I didn't want to push it.

"Thanks," she blushed, she never was good at taking compliments, "So do you." I put my arm around her and walked her out to my car. Even though the rain had stopped, I figured we could drive because it would be pretty late by the time we would be home. I opened the door for her and she climbed in. I went over to my side and started up the car.

"So, are we going public with this?" I asked nervously, not sure how she would feel.

"That's the "out in public, everyone knows about," part of being my boyfriend." Now it was her turn to quote herself from the night she asked me to be her boyfriend over Christmas.

"Good." I grabbed her hand over the middle console, near the stick shift. She squeezed it reassuringly, knowing that I was a bit nervous because Bluebell certainly knew how to blow things out of proportion. I pulled into the Rammer Jammer and parked near the back. I got out of the car and before she had the chance to do it herself, I ran over and opened her car door for her. I put my hand out to help her out of the car and she took it. She didn't let go though, she kept ahold of it as we walked into the Rammer Jammer through the back.

"I've gotta go check on the band, but I'll come find you when I'm done. Lavon and everyone should be here already, too." I told her as I kissed her forehead. She smiled and walked off to find her best friend. The band was ready to go on in a few minutes, so I helped them get some of their equipment on stage.

"Alright, without any further ado, here is Parmalee!" I announced and the lights went down. The band joined on stage and I hopped down. I went behind the bar because they were swamped. It seemed like I was pouring drinks for hours when I finally saw the face I've been wanting to kiss since I got here.

"And what can I get you pretty lady?"

"You better watch it, I've got a sexy boyfriend." She winked at me and I'm sure a few people overheard us.

"Here, I've got a surprise for you." I ran to the storage room and grabbed a bottle of wine that has been there since before she left. I poured her a glass and she took a sip and smiled.

"You remembered."

"Of course I did." I smiled and leaned across the bar and kissed her.

"Well you better get back to work. You've got dates to pay for now." She raised her eyebrows as she got off the stool to go back to listening to the band. I clicked my tongue and smiled. She sure knew how to play with my heart. A few songs later, they started to play a slow song and I watched as people started to fill the floor dancing. I saw Lavon and Annabeth get up from the table they were sharing with Zoe to dance, leaving her alone.

_Home is where my heart is still beating_

_And I don't know when I'll see her again_

_I hate to see her cry when I'm leaving_

_But now I'm a thousand miles away again_

"I'll be right back Wanda." I said, not taking my eyes off of her.

_And she feels like Carolina_

_Looks like California_

_Shining like those New York lights on Broadway_

_When she looks back I'm behind her_

_I'll always be there for her_

_She makes me feel like home's not so far away_

_She feels like Carolina_

"May I have this dance?" I asked as I approached the table from behind.

"I thought you'd never ask." A smile spread across her face when she turned around and saw me. She got up from the table and took my hand.

_It's hard to understand the way I'm living_

_And I know she thinks I'm never coming home (never coming home)_

_But I miss her pretty smile, I'm coming back in a little while_

_But I'm a thousand miles away again_

_And she feels like Carolina_

_Looks like California_

_Shining like those New York lights on Broadway_

_When she looks back I'm behind her_

_I'll always be there for her_

_She makes me feel like home's not so far away_

It was amazing that even with her heels on, she was still a good bit shorter than me. We made our way to the dance floor and I pulled her close. Her arms were around my neck and she rested her head on my chest. My hands were on her hips I couldn't see her face, but my lips were near one of her ears.

_No matter how far I go, you know I can't stop thinking about her_

_And there's nothing like the way I feel, the way I feel when I'm beside her_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_She feels like Carolina_

_Looks like California_

_Shining like those New York lights on Broadway_

_When she looks back I'm behind her_

_I'll always be there for her_

_She makes me feel like home's not so far away_

"I know your eyes are closed so you can't see all of these people staring at us, but I thought I'd keep you updated that we are, in fact, the talk of the town at the moment." I felt her giggle in my arms and that was all it took for another goofy smile to spread across my face. She lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me.

"I missed this Wade. I missed your strong arms holding me the most." She whispered and I bent my head down to kiss her. With all eyes on us, the town practically had a joint aneurysm.

_Carolina (Carolina)_

_California (California)_

_Like home's not so far away_

_She feels like Carolina (Carolina)_

_Looks like California (California)_

_She makes me feel like home's not so far away_

_She makes me feel like home's not so far away_

"I missed that the most," I said in reference to the kiss. We went back to dancing until the song ended. I kissed her forehead before heading back to the bar.

"Wade Kinsella, what in the world was that?" I heard her voice and rolled my eyes.

"Well, Lemon Breeland, that was me, dancing with my girlfriend." I mocked her use of my full name.

"Are you stupid? Have you hit your head? Do you remember how heartbroken you were when she left? And then even more when she didn't come back!? What are you thinking?" She hissed in a low voice.

"I'm thinking that I was heartbroken because she was gone, and now she's back. We've talked Lemon, and we decided to take things slow this time, not that it's any of your business. I don't interfere when Peter drops by once a month and you're all over him for the two days he's in town."

"That's different! He's working!"

"So was Zoe."

"You are the most frustrating person I've ever met. I'm trying to help you Wade, she's just going to hurt you again."

"Well that's my decision to make, isn't it?" I finally looked up at her from the spot on the bar I had been wiping down. She stormed off and I shook my head. Women. The band ended about an hour later, and the crowd began to disperse.

"Hey baby, you ready to go soon? Or should I hitch a ride with Lavon and AB?" She approached me as I was finishing up.

"Nope, I'm about ready to go." I smiled up at her and grabbed my jacket from the back. I led her to the car and narrowly avoided a puddle from the earlier storm. I drove her back to her house and got out to walk her to the door.

I followed her up the stairs to her porch, which was just redone. I noticed the puddle on her porch before she did, but didn't think anything of it until she was falling. I stuck my arms out to try and catch her, but she was just out of my reach. I silently cursed her strappy heels.

"Zoe, are you okay?" I asked before she whimpered in pain. I knelt down beside her on the porch. She tried to calm down before answering, but I saw the tears welling in her eyes. I was worried now, I don't think I've ever seen her cry except the time after Tom and Wanda's wedding.

"Hey, talk to me babe, what hurts? I don't even know why I'm asking that, you're the Doc here, not me." I tried to lighten to mood and she breathed out a laugh, which just turned into more tears.

"It's my shoulder; I think it's dislocated." She sat up slowly, holding her elbow, keeping her shoulder in place.

"What can I do?"

"Well first we can go inside. I think I have everything I need to take care of this in there." I tried to help her stand up, but I didn't want to hurt her even more. I opened the door and held it for her as she walked inside. She sat down on the bed and asked me to go to the hallway closet.

"There should be some ace bandages in there?" She yelled and waited for my confirmation.

"Yeah, I got them."

"Okay, grab like two of the big ones and two small ones. And then some ice, in a Ziploc bag, and seran wrap."

"Okay, I'll have to go to Lavon's for that stuff. But what can I do for you before I run?" I walked back into the room.

"Grab me a t-shirt out of the drawer." The tears had subsided, but she was clenching her jaw through the pain.

"Now, you're going to have to take my shirt off." She couldn't help but laugh at the irony. I was nervous I was going to hurt her, but I managed to slide her out of it.

"Now the bra…"

"You know Doc, you didn't have to hurt yourself for us to get naked together." I cracked a smile and she gently laughed, not wanting to hurt herself. I unclipped it from behind, trying not to look.

Next, I slipped an old t-shirt over her head. It just so happened that it was mine.

"Okay, take one of the big bandages and wrap it around my shoulder, under my other arm, and then back around my shoulder. Do that with the second one, too." I followed her instructions and waited to hear what to do next.

"Now take the small bandages and wrap them around my chest to keep my arm from moving." I did that too. She removed her hand and her shoulder stayed in place.

"That should keep it until I can go see Brick tomorrow." I nodded and ran out to Lavon's. I made it in and out without anyone noticing me, which would be good, so I could get back to the house quickly.

"Okay, now put the ice on my shoulder and wrap it with the seran wrap so it stays." I did that and she took a big break.

"How does it feel?"

"It hurts, but it'll hurt a hell of a lot more when Brick sets it tomorrow." She said as she slowly leaned back on the pillows I had propped up for her.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a good time. When are you going to go do that?"

"Probably right when I wake up. The longer I leave it go, the more it's going to hurt when he pushes it back into place."

"Okay. Hold on, I'll be right back." I stepped out into the hallway and made a phone call to Wanda that I wouldn't be in tomorrow.

"Sorry bout that." I watched her as she tried to get comfortable, but couldn't.

"Where'd ya go?"

"I just had to tell Wanda that I wouldn't make it in tomorrow. What're we watching?" I motioned towards the TV.

"Wade, you didn't have to do that. I'll be fine tomorrow, you should go to work."

"Yeah, and leave you here all mopey and whiney. I'd come home and you'd say 'Wade, why didn't you stay home with me?' And then I'd be in a world of trouble." I laughed when I mimicked her, and she couldn't help but laugh, too.

"Hey, I do not sound like that!" She slapped me with her good arm across the chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Doc, you could hurt your other arm. Abs of steel baby." I lifted up my shirt and gave her a quick glance.

"Sure, whatever you tell yourself to get through the day." She rolled her eyes and went back to watching the television. I noticed that it was The Office, a show that I quickly learned was her guilty pleasure.

When all of her ice melted, I ran back over to Lavon's to fill up the bag. I wasn't as fortunate this time, seeing as I ran into him.

"Whatcha doin?"

"I just need some ice."

"For what?"

"Well, you see, there was an accident, and she's fine and all! But let's just say there was a mishap."

"And does Lavon Hayes want to know what you mean by 'mishap?'"

"It's nothing like that Lavon, get your head outta the gutter! She slipped in a puddle on her porch and dislodged her shoulder or somethin.' I don't know, somethin like that." I shrugged my shoulders and he did the same.

"Well, go on now!" He said to me after a few seconds of silence and I took that as my queue to head out.

By the time I came back, she was fading pretty fast. I got her all wrapped up again and then went to get her some nighttime pain medicine, which would help her sleep through the pain.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you in the morning Doc. Call me if you need anything. You seem pretty set up though, you've got your phone and the remote right there." I pointed out to her, but she looked confused.

"You think I'm going to let you leave me here?! I'm an injured woman Wade! I have needs! And right now, my need is for you to stay here and take care of me!" She surprised me with her outburst, but I nodded, dismissing it. I laid with her on the bed before she yelled at me again because 'No one sleeps in jeans!' Well it seems I didn't get the memo. I obliged and removed my jeans and my t-shirt, only to make her stop yelling at me.

"You weren't kidding 'bout abs of steel, were ya?" She laughed while staring at my midsection, which only confused me more since she was yelling at me two seconds ago.

"I never joke about those things Doc." I winked and climbed under the covers. She fell asleep soon after, seeing as those pills I gave her did the trick.


	4. Sunday Morning by Maroon 5

I was already awake when she woke up the next morning. I was watching some cartoons when she started to stir and I knew she'd be wanting more painkillers, but I wasn't the type of guy who knew a whole lot about medicine, but I'd just have to trust that she knew what she was doing.

She rubbed her eyes a few times before sitting up.

"You want to go now?" I asked, remembering what she said earlier.

"Yeah, the sooner the better. Let's get this over with." I helped her out of bed and got her a pair of running shorts to match my shirt that she had on, even though she would 'Never be caught dead in this outfit.' Her words, not mine. She slid on a pair of flip flops and we were out the door. She had texted Brick this morning, so he knew we were coming in, so he wasn't surprised when he saw me hold the door open and her scooch past me.

"Alright, let's take a look at it. Zoe, that is some fine handy work you did there wrapping this thing up."

"It was all Wade. I just instructed him."

"As usual…" I trailed off, knowing they both heard me and she smacked me in the ribs again.

"Hey!" Brick and I both laughed.

"This is gonna be the worst part, but then it's going to feel better, I promise." Brick told Zoe and she nodded her head knowingly.

"Wade, you're not going to want to see this. Trust me, go out in the waiting room." Zoe looked at me, knowing I have a weak stomach. I nodded and left the room. A few seconds later I heard a crack, a scream and whimpering.

They emerged from the exam room a minute later, with Zoe now sporting a navy blue sling that wrapped under her shoulder and around her body. Her face was stained with a few tears, but not many. Brick walked us out, instructing her on what she should do for the pain, but she just shook him off because she already knew.

"Let's get you home gimpy." I patted her knee as we drove away from the practice.

"This sucks, when am I going to be able to work now? This is the epitome of frustrating." She whined while I drove her home. I nodded along with her and we pulled up to her house.

"Wanna do me a huge favor?" She asked and I hesitated.

"Depends what it is." I teased her and she smiled.

"Go fill my prescription for me? I really don't want to go back out."

"Of course." I got her all tucked into bed and went out to get her pills. I got to the pharmacy, and waited while they filled it. I could hear it storming again outside already, and it was going to be a long trip home if I wanted to make it.

About 10 minutes later, the pills were ready and I ran out to the car in hopes not to get soaked. It was inevitable though, my shirt was soaked through, which reminded me of the first night Zoe and I got together.

"_So? Is that so wrong?" She spat back at me when I asked her if there was really a patient in Mobile she had to see. _

"_Yes! It is! If you had been a grown up and just sucked it up like everybody else, we wouldn't be in this situation right now!" I yelled back at her, looking for some reason to blame her and not myself in this situation._

"_Me? I'm not the grown up? You can't even admit why you're really mad at me!"_

"_What're you talking about?" I stopped dead and lowered my voice.  
_

"_Don't make me say it."_

"_Say what?"_

"_Lavon told me," she paused as she gathered her thoughts, "You have feelings for me that I don't, but I know it, you know it, and that's what this is all about!"_

"_Wait! Wade!" That was the last I heard from her until I came back to the barn later._

"_I thought you left me here!"_

"_I considered it, then I decided that I needed to clear the air. See Lavon was right, I did like you. You're plaguing me. Walkin' around in those little outfits, smilin'. It confused my feelins'. But Now I see that those feelings, they uh, were just sexual frustration."_

"_Oh come on." She saw right through my act._

"_You see you were the first and only girl I couldn't get to sleep with me. And it messed up my mind. It got me deluded so I was thinkin' you were like this uh this like Holy Grail, which sweetie, you are not."_

"_Thank you." She rolled her eyes._

"_See if we had just slept together that first night we met, I would just see you as the annoying, electricity robbing neighbor that you are._

"_Right, yeah all this fighting and horribleness would just be eliminated if I just slept with you. Then we could turn the page if we just got it out of our systems._

_Something like that."_

"_Well that is ridiculous_

"_Well, I guess we'll never find out, will we?"_

"_Well, we gonna help that goat or not?"_

My mind flashed back to the present as I remembered how we saved the goat and she cut herself on the barbed wire.

"_All set," I said as I pressed the bandage onto her still wet skin._

"_Thank you." She replied softly._

"_You know, it's not like I never thought about having sex with you, it's just that what's the point? We have nothing in common, we're always fighting, we are very different people, and it's not like we could ever go anywhere." She seemed more like she was thinking out loud than speaking to me, but I didn't mind._

"_Doc, I'm not saying that I want to marry you, I'm just saying that there's something here, something between us. And there's no better cure for your little crush on Golden Boy…" I laughed, she overanalyzed everything._

We almost shared our first memorable kiss in that barn. Our first real kiss was only hours later, but there was still something in that moment that made it special.

_I was putting my suit on, making sure I looked okay for the wedding when all of a sudden, the power went out. I couldn't help but smile. This was her way of letting me know that she wanted this too. I ran as fast as I could in the rain to the Carriage House. _

_I ran up her porch steps and took a deep breath. I knocked on the frame of her screen door. She walked slowly to the door, like she was teasing me. Finally, she let me in and it was only seconds before I was kissing her. _

About 45 minutes later I pulled up to the house and ran inside since it was still pouring out. She was in the same spot I left her, but she was asleep. I put the pills on the table and grabbed one of my shirts out of her drawer that she had stolen many nights ago. I was surprised she kept them all after what I did to her.

I quietly tiptoed out of the room and over to my house. I grabbed a few things, knowing I would be staying for a few days, at least until she was feeling better. I grabbed my guitar, my laptop, my phone charger, and a few items of clothing. I hurried back to her house, thankful that the rain had stopped, even though it was still pretty cloudy.

I made sure her bedroom door was shut before I sat on her couch and turned the TV on low. I was bored so I picked up my guitar, knowing that I couldn't be too loud. I started strumming quietly to the tune in my head.

_Sunday morning rain is falling_

_Steal some covers share some skin_

_Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable_

_You twist to fit the mold that I am in_

_But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do_

_And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew_

_That someday it would lead me back to you_

_That someday it would lead me back to you_

_That may be all I need_

_In darkness she is all I see_

_Come and rest your bones with me_

_Driving slow on Sunday morning_

_And I never want to leave_

_Fingers trace your every outline_

_Paint a picture with my hands_

_Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm_

_Change the weather still together when it ends_

_That may be all I need_

_In darkness she is all I see_

_Come and rest your bones with me_

_Driving slow on Sunday morning_

_And I never want to leave_

_But things just get so crazy even life gets hard to do_

_Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you_

_Singing someday it'll bring me back to you_

_Find a way to bring myself back home to you_

_And you may not know_

_That may be all I need_

_In darkness she is all I see_

_Come and rest your bones with me_

_Driving slow on Sunday morning_

"That's a great song." I almost jumped a foot in the air when she spoke.

"Jesus Doc, don't you know not to scare a man like that? Heart attacks are a real thing, ya know." She smiled and I was a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, I just love hearing you sing." She took a spot next to me on her couch.

"I didn't know you were a Maroon 5 fan?" She asked me.

"Not really, just the song felt appropriate, considerin' our current predicament." I gestured to the rainy Sunday morning upon us. She nodded.

"They're not country enough for me most of the time, but they got a few good songs."

"Well I certainly like them if you're singing their songs." She snuggled up to me as I put my guitar down and she rested her head on my chest as I put my guitar down.

"How ya feelin'?"

"Alright, I just took some of those meds Brick prescribed me, so probably better soon. I'm just bored. What's on TV?"

"Literally nothing." I laughed, feeling her boredom.

"Why don't we go for a drive?"

"It's rainin' Doc. Wouldn't you rather just stay inside where it's warm and dry?"

"It's warm and dry in your car. Come on, riding in the car makes me feel so relaxed. I love when you drive me. It's very sexy."

"Well if you insist." I smirked and stood up. I grabbed my sweatshirt I brought from my house and grabbed her one too. I helped her put it on and grabbed my keys.

We climbed in the car and I turned the heat on. I pulled slowly out of the plantation and through town. No one was out, but that wasn't surprising. If it was a nice day, everyone would be at church, but due to the rain last night and this morning, everyone stayed home.

We left the radio off, just enjoying the sound of the raindrops hitting the windshield and the roof. Her eyes were mesmerized by the droplets cascading down her window. The silence was comfortable, but I couldn't help but wonder if something was on her mind.

"What's on your mind beautiful?" I asked her as I took my eyes off the road for a second.

"You." She turned her head to look at me.

"Well that's never good," I chuckled, pointing out how I was trouble."

"No, it is. I'm just thinking about everything, really. How every decision in my life has led me here, to Bluebell, with you. It's kind of crazy when you think about it. What if my mom hadn't gotten sick? Would we be together if I came back three months earlier? What if I had been offered the fellowship the first time and never came to Bluebell? What if I went somewhere else instead of Bluebell? I never would have found out that I've been living a lie my entire life. I never would have even met you? Even if you were my annoying neighbor who used too much electricity when I first moved in."

"Yeah, it's nuts. You know, it's going to sound funny, but I thank my lucky stars for Tucker."

"George? Why George?"

"Because he brought you into town. If he hadn't, who knows what might've happened to you?" The smile on her face widened and the conversation died and we resumed listening to the rain.

"This was one of my favorite things to do in New York, you know? It rains a lot, so whenever I wasn't at the hospital or anything, I would just curl up with a blanket in my apartment and listen to the rain hit the windows. No matter how crazy or loud the city got, whenever it rained, it seemed like the whole city stopped. It didn't, of course, but from my 23rd floor apartment, it just seemed so surreal. That the people on the ground level were miles away, and I was all alone. For being the most populated city in America, it can be really lonely sometimes."

"I've always loved the rain. That's what I love about being down here in Alabama. You can sit on your porch and watch it rain all day, unless it's a real bad storm or whatever. Me and my mama used to do that all the time. Now adays though, it's just me. The rain makes me feel lonely too."

"Well now we can be lonely together." I heard what she said, but what impacted me the most was the way her mouth moved. It seemed so genuine, and I mentally questioned if I had ever paid attention to the small details like the way her mouth moved when she talked. I promised myself that I would start to notice more of the small things.

"Say Doc, why don't you tell me some stories about New York? I've never been too interested, but you love it, and I love you, so I want to know more."

"New York is a good place for a vacation, but if I could do it over again, would I want to grow up there? Probably not. Part of me wishes that I knew about Harley and had spent some time with him here when I was a kid, like summers or something. Here people let their kids run around, they leave their doors unlocked, nobody is scared of their neighbors. It's not like that at all in New York. I lived there for 25 years and I couldn't tell you a single one of my neighbor's names. I wish that I had gotten to experience just being a kid here and getting dirty and just playing around. There wasn't any of that around."

"Doc, trust me, if you had been here when you were a kid, we would not be together now. I was an awful kid, always pullin' girl's ponytails and stuff. Always getting' myself into some sort of trouble."

"Let me tell ya Wade, you haven't changed that much, and that's what I love about you." She squeezed my hand and I laughed.

"You wanna know something?"

"Sure," she nodded.

"My mama would have loved you. I can hear her now, she'd be saying 'Wade Kinsella, if you treat that girl wrong again, I don't care if you're almost 30, I'll have your behind!'" I laughed, remembering how often she threatened that.

"I wish I could've met her, what was she like?"

"She was the most amazing woman in the world. She would have done anything for me and Jess, and she practically did do everything for Earl. He wasn't always the way he is now, he only got like that after she passed. It was a tough few months, for sure, when we found out she was sick. I'm sure you can relate, I just had to watch her die and I remember thinkin' 'God, please just let her die now so the pain will end.' A few weeks before she went, she sat me down and we had a nice long talk. She told me to take care of Earl and always love my brother because family is always the most important thing. Then she told me that when I find a girl that makes me feel the way she feels about Dad then to never second guess my feelings. And I did Zoe, that night, I felt like I wasn't good enough for you, so I did what I did, and I hurt you, and I know I let my mama down. That's why it was so hard for me to let that go. I never wanted Mama to be disappointed in me because I promised her I would do my best, and over time, I guess that kind of fades away, and the promises you made to people stop meaning as much as they once did." I pulled the car over to the side of the abandoned highway because my vision was getting blurry.

"Wade," she paused to take a breath, "I know I didn't know her, and I know that no matter how much you try to make me understand the person she was, that I will never be able to fully understand what she was like. But I do know that she loved you more than anything in this world, and that no matter what you do, she will always love you. Because that's what moms do. They love you no matter what, and especially your mom. She was an amazing woman and she has nothing to be disappointed in now. Look at the guy you've become, you're a successful business owner! You're going back to school, you're a devastatingly handsome man with a girl who is head over heels in love with you!" She cupped my face and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. I smiled when she said that because everything I had been doing was for her.

"You're right, sorry, I just get caught up in the moment sometimes." I said sheepishly and she gave me a sad smile.

"Don't be sorry, I love seeing the real Wade Kinsella because more often than not, you just bury your feelings." I couldn't help but smirk because I knew it was true.

"Well that's for a good reason. Now why don't you say we head home and watch a movie?" She nodded and I turned the car around. We had about 30 minutes to drive before we arrived back home.

I turned the car off, but she didn't get out. So I stayed seated and waited for her to make the first move.

"Uhh, Doc, what are we doing here? Are we just gonna sit in the car all night?" I asked as I let the smirk widen across my face again. She turned her head from the window with tears streaming down her face and my smile faded.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain? What can I do?"

"Wade, I have to tell you something." I swear I felt my heart stop in that moment. That never meant anything good.


	5. What Hurts The Most by The Rascal Flatts

"Okay…" I nervously trailed off. I was worried, but I also wanted to know what was making her so upset.

"I didn't tell you the entire truth earlier, about New York. When you asked how it was and what happened. I wasn't completely honest." The tears were still flowing out steadily now and she couldn't look at me.

"What is it Zo? I promise, whatever it is, it's okay. Did you see someone else? Because if you did that's fine, we can get through it." She violently shook her head no. I was becoming impatient waiting for her answer, but she was silent through her tears.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise." I put my arm around her and she continued to cry into my chest. I grabbed her head and stroked her hair to try and calm her down.

"You aren't going to say that after I tell you." Now my mind was racing with the possibilities. What could she have done that's making her this upset?

"Can you just tell me? I'm really worried." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but it was useless.

"About a month and a half after I arrived in New York, I didn't feel so great, but I thought that it was because I was working like crazy, and I wasn't eating much because when I got home from work I was so tired, I didn't even want to eat, just sleep. So I thought I was dehydrated or something, but after a week, I still didn't feel right. I was late, so I took a test, and it was negative. So I was relieved and went back to work and just continued my crazy busy schedule at work, and my awful diet of like a vending machine snack and a diet coke a day." She paused to take another breath, but I couldn't think of anything to say during the silence.

"Two weeks after that, I was in an 11 hour surgery and started to feel really dizzy and it felt like my insides were being ripped apart, so I stepped back from the person on the table to try and get my bearings and I collapsed. I woke up in the emergency room and they told me that I had been pregnant, but it was too early to tell when I took the test and that due to the stress of work and my diet, the baby wasn't developing enough and had stopped growing, and I suffered a miscarriage." She stopped to let me respond, but my brain literally couldn't come up with a single word to say or action to do. I just sat there and looked forward.

"Wade, can you say something? Anything? I don't care if you're mad, or if you hate me, just say anything."

"You should have told me." I opened my car door and took off, knowing that she knew better than to follow me. I left because I knew if I stayed that I would say something I regretted.

"I heard her get out of my car and walk up her steps, but I didn't turn around. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Lavon that said _Check on Zoe in about 2 hours please. _I didn't wait for him to respond, instead turning my phone off. I walked to the one place no one would find me, which is what I wanted for the moment. To be alone.

I took a seat next to the bouquet of flowers that Earl managed to bring out every week and leaned against the cold stone.

"Hey Mama, it's me. I guess you already knew that though. And I guess that means you just saw what happened, since you told me you'd always be watching me. Maybe you already knew though, maybe you're watching Zoe too, since you know that I really love her. I don't really know how stuff works up there, ya know?"

"If our baby had a soul, or whatever, if there's any bit of him up there, I know you're with him. Or her, I guess. I don't know how they decide that, cause I know it would have been too early. See, I learned something in health class."

"I just don't get why she didn't tell me? A phone call would have been fine. It's been 4 months, Ma! She had 4 months to tell me, so why now? Why after we're finally happy?" I was getting angry now.

"Why wasn't I there for her? It's my own damn fault that she was that far away anyway. If I hadn't done that to her, she would have been here in Bluebell, where I could've taken care of her. Why do I have to ruin everything? I just wish you were still here, then you could tell me what to do. Though I think I know what you would've said anyway. It'd be something like 'Wade Kinsella, you march your butt over there and apologize because you didn't even think about how she must be feeling.' My heart just hurts so bad Mama because I know that I chased her away, it's my fault she lost the baby. It's always my fault." I let myself actually cry for the first time since she died. I cried for losing Zoe, and losing the baby, and losing my mama. I cried because I felt awful for leaving Zoe in the car, and for not thinking about how she felt. I cried because it felt like there was an immense hole in my heart now. I cried because Zoe didn't seem as upset about this as I was. She had 4 months to grieve though and this was new knowledge to me.

I'm not sure how long I cried for, it didn't seem like a long time, but I eventually laid my head back on the grass that has grown lush over her grave. I let my eyes drift closed, knowing that that was the only time that I got to see my Mama anymore, when I was asleep.

My eyes drifted open and I looked around. I figured out I was in the cemetery, but was kinda spooked as to how I got here. The past days events flooded my brain and I was brought back to reality. I sighed, and turned my phone on the see what time it was. It was dark, that's for sure. Once my phone started back up, it read that the time was 2:14. Great, now she's surely had everyone out looking for me. My phone vibrated, signaling that I had 18 text messages and a few missed calls.

_Just let me know that you're safe._

_Wade, I'm sorry I didn't tell you._

_Can you text me back so I know you're at least getting these?_

_Are you alive?_

_This isn't funny Wade, just let me know you're okay._

_Getting really worried now…_

_Where are you?_

_Call me as soon as you get this._

_I get it, you're mad at me, but please come home so we can talk._

_This is all my fault._

_Thinking about calling the Sheriff to find you._

_Lavon's worried too Wade, please come home, or tell us that you're safe._

_Going to bed, wake me up if you come home_

_Yo Wade, you got Zoe in a panic over here, where are you?_

_Wade, just let us know that you're safe._

_She finally fell asleep, but you should really come home._

_Not cool to leave your injured girlfriend alone._

_Don't know what happened between you two, but come fix it._

I made my way back to the plantation and thankfully found that the door was unlocked. I saw Lavon asleep on her couch.

"Hey buddy, just fell asleep at Earls, you can go on home now." I shook him gently, not wanting him to know that I had been visiting my mama. He nodded and made his way out of the house. Now for the hard part. I silently crawled stripped down to my boxers and saw her tearstained face in the moonlight. I slowly crawled into bed next to her, hoping not to wake her.

"You wanna do this now or tomorrow?" She asked me, which scared me because I didn't think she was awake. I sat for a minute, thinking. I was tired, but I wanted all of this to be over.

"I guess since we're both up, we'll do this now…" I sat back up in bed and slid myself up so I was sitting against the headboard. She did the same.

"That wasn't fair what you did tonight, you didn't even-"

"Oh and you think that what you did was fair?"

"If you'd let me finish, you'd hear what I had to say." She threatened and I shut up.

"As I was saying, what you didn't tonight wasn't fair. You can't just leave and not tell anyone where you're going and not come home for 12 hours. We were scared for you Wade, we didn't know if you had been eaten by a bear or hit by a car, or laying in a ditch somewhere. But I know that what I did wasn't fair either, you deserved to know, and I was going to come home and tell you, but my mom got sick. You more than anybody knows that I couldn't leave her while she was like that. And I know I should've called, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I knew that it would break your heart and that you would be mad at me. To be honest, I was scared to call. I was scared that you would hate me, and blame me because God knows I did. I hated myself, and it's my fault that all of that happened. I was devastated because even though we weren't together at the time, I was okay with the thought of it. Even though the test said negative, the thought of having your baby obviously crossed my mind, and I was okay with that thought and I desperately wanted you to be too, and when I lost it, I felt awful."

"Zoe, the only reason I was mad was because you didn't tell me. And I'm more mad at myself than you. It was my fault that you left in the first place, and returned to your hectic lifestyle. I chased you back to New York and I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. And I'm so sorry for that." I pulled her into me and held her for a while. She was sobbing again and I couldn't help but let a few tears fall from my eyes for the third time that day.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I was just so nervous about seeing you again, and I just wanted everything to be okay again with us."

"It's okay Zo, I'm sorry I wasn't there in the first place." We just held each other for a while before either of us spoke again.

"So, what was it like? If you don't mind me askin'. 

"It was awful, I think in my heart I knew the truth though. Once I woke up, they had already done the procedure on me and I was basically free to go. I was a bit nauseous for a few days afterwards, but other than that, it's just the memories that are the worst of it. They said that it shouldn't affect like my future ability to have kids or anything, but that there really wasn't anything I could do to prevent it, especially since I didn't know, but I still can't help but think that it was my fault. I was supposed to protect it, but I couldn't. I failed our baby."

"Hey, look at me, you didn't fail anyone. None of this was your fault, they told you you couldn't have done anything to prevent it. I don't blame you at all. And when the timings right, we can try again if you want. Or if you don't want to, that's fine too. But I do know one thing, and that's that my mom, and your mom, and Harley are all up there arguing about who gets to spoil that baby the most. They're taking care of him up there, there's no doubt in my mind about that."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that alone."

"It's my own fault. I knew that if I had called you that you would've been there in a second. I was just terrified to see you after that. It was stupid, I know." I just shook my head and held her tighter, trying to soothe her.

"God, sorry I'm such a mess, I really didn't think I'd cry this much. I've already done more than my share of crying back in New York."

"Trust me, I did quite a bit of crying earlier too. It's okay, the emotions are just coming back up for you, having to relive it and all. And this is all new information for me. I'd say the tears are justified." I squeezed her a little harder and rubbed my hand up and down her back until I heard her breathing steady again and I knew she was asleep. I took a deep breath and tried to go back to sleep myself, which wasn't very hard.

I heard her get out of bed and take a few steps around the room before making her way into the bathroom. Once I heard the door lock, my eyes popped open. I know the next few days were going to be like walking on eggshells because we were both still hurting, but I wanted us to be open with each other. That went against everything I stood for though. I am Wade Kinsella, I don't let anyone see my emotions. God, I never even said the word emotions before Zoe came to town.

I rolled my eyes at myself before climbing out of her bed. I made the bed, knowing she would appreciate it. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants, not bothering to put a shirt on, since it was still pretty warm out. I turned on a pot of coffee and heard the shower start. I sat on the couch and picked up my guitar again, knowing I wasn't risking her hearing me this time. I knew if she did though, it would make her feel bad, so I would be extra quiet.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house_

_That don't bother me_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while_

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me_

_There are days every now and again I pretend I'm OK_

_But that's not what gets me_

_What hurts the most_

_Was being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was tryin' to do_

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go_

_But I'm doin' It_

_It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone_

_Still Harder_

_Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret_

_But I know if I could do it over_

_I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart_

_That I left unspoken_

_What hurts the most_

_Is being so close_

_And having so much to say (much to say)_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do, oh._

_What hurts the most_

_Was being so close_

_And having so much to say (to say)_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do_

_Not seeing that loving you_

_That's what I was trying to do_

I put my guitar down as soon as I heard the shower turn off. I sat back on the couch with my thoughts after grabbing myself a cup of coffee.

I knew this wasn't her fault, but it hurt me when she thought that it was. None of this was her, and I had to start believing that it wasn't my fault either, otherwise neither of us would be able to move.

She emerged from her room dressed for the day. She walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup.

"You wanna go steal some breakfast?" I called over to her, knowing she would say yes. She was a breakfast girl, one of the many things I love about her.

"You know me so well." She gulped down her coffee and I went back to her room to change out of my pajamas. I put on a pair of jeans and my t-shirt that Zoe gave me that her mom had sent to her that said "I love my Alabama girl." I threw on my sunglasses and went out to meet her on the porch.

"Where to, Lavon's or the Rammer Jammer? Either place is free." I smirked and grabbed her freehand.

"Let's at least stop in to see Lavon, I feel like I haven't seen him in forever!" I chuckled and led her to the plantation's main house. We went through the backdoor and found Lavon and Annabeth sitting at the island eating eggs and pancakes.

"Any left for me? I'm starving!"

"Plenty left. So let's hear this story that got you into this mess." Annabeth urged.

"I slipped on my porch after I stepped in a puddle. Dislocated my shoulder in the process, but I'm going back to work tomorrow so that will contain my boredom I think." She explained.

"And who approved that?" I asked her, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket.

"Wait, wait, wait! Lavon Hayes knows this one…uh, you?" He looked at Zoe who nodded.

"I'm a doctor, better yet, a surgeon. I know these kinds of things, like when I can go back to work. And it's not my dominate arm, so I can still do most of my work, Brick will just be doing the stitching," She turned and faced me, pulling me close, "So that means you better not need any stitching up anytime soon." She said seductively. She had me wrapped around her finger, that's for sure. My heart melted and I was like putty in her hands.

"Well I will certainly try my hardest Doc," I whispered and pulled her lips into mine.

"Naw, naw, naw, naw. Lavon Hayes and his woman do not need to see that this early in the morning."

"Your woman? What's that supposed to mean? You make it sound so possessive, like you own me…" Lavon and Annabeth kept bickering, but the only thing I could focus on was Zoe.

"Aright, you two head out to the Rammer Jammer or something. I don't want to see this!" Lavon shouted and went back to his cereal, nodding while Annabeth nagged him still about calling her 'his woman.'

"Wanna walk?"

"Of course! I've got on better shoes today." She laughed and motioned to her converse she was wearing with a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt of mine that said Bluebell High Varsity Football. That was one of my all-time favorites on her.

"So when's the sling come off?" I asked her as we walked on the path that led from the plantation into town.

"Anytime, really."

"Liar." I called her out, knowing she should probably wear it longer than she was going to.

"Okay, fine, you're right, you're supposed to wear it for like two weeks, but I think I'll be fine after a few days. I'll just take it easy. I don't need to wear this for that long. Plus I'd like to have both hands in commission, if ya know what I mean." She winked at me and my jaw almost hit the floor. Since she arrived back in town, she had been a bit shy, but today she was very bold with her suggestions.

"I think I have a very good idea of what you mean." I looked straight ahead, but could feel myself blush. I smirked slightly, a bit embarrassed. I held the door open for her when we approached the Rammer Jammer.

"After you ma'am."

"Oh why thank you sir." She extended onto her tiptoes and took me by surprise by kissing me, but I happily accepted.

"Oh, this will be great for the Bluebell Blawker! Just what I needed for my 'Zade Reunited' story too!" Dash exclaimed as a flash tore Zoe and I apart. He was studying his camera and the picture he had just taken of us.

"You always know how to ruin a good moment, don't you Dash?" I questioned as we walked by him. Zoe was giggling and I led her to a table. I went back to the kitchen to make our breakfast, perks of owning the place.

I returned about five minutes later with two plates in my hand. I saw Dash harassing Zoe, for details on our relationship I assume.

"Dash, I will say this to you once and one only once. I love Wade, and we're very happy. Now, if you'll excuse me, my breakfast has arrived." She looked from him to me as I took the seat across from her. I set her plate down in front of her.

"Oh, caramel French toast, my favorite! You spoil me Wade Kinsella, and I'm going to get fat if you keep doing this."

"I'd love you either way." I kissed her across the table, ignoring Dash, who has yet to leave the table.

"Okay, so moving on form the relationship questions then, what happened to your arm?"

"I dislocated my shoulder, I slipped in a puddle." Zoe was being very short with Dash, hoping he would get the hint, but he didn't.

"And where was your supposed knight in shining armor when this happened?"

"He was there! I can't believe you'd even ask that. He helped me, now scoot, don't you have better things to do with your day Dash?" She asked and he reluctantly stood up from the chair he had dragged over to our table. He went back to eating breakfast with a few of his fellow Owls.

"Well I can't wait to read about how crabby he thinks I am." She half smiled, mid-bite.

"Oh I bet he's going to have rave reviews about us." I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved this town and the people in it, they were certifiably crazy.

"Wade, are you staying?" Shelley called over to me when I was about finished with my breakfast. I looked to Zoe.

"Uhh, well I guess I could if you really need me?" I looked around and could tell that they were swamped.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to be this swamped, you can head home or something."

"No, it's fine, I brought a book!" She pulled out _Of Mice and Men_, her favorite.

"Haven't you read that like a hundred times?"

"At least, I'm a sucker for Steinbeck, always have been. Have you read it?"

"Nope, you know I don't read Doc."

"You really should, this is my favorite book!" She encouraged, and I made a mental note. She sat at the bar, reading her book, but kept getting distracted from all of the people who were approaching her.

"You can go on back to the office if you want some quiet space." I offered and she smirked at me and got off her stool. I opened the door and closed it behind me, leaving her to her solitude. It was only lunchtime now, but not a lot of people were drinking, so when I got Zoe's text that said _Come back here when you get a chance, _I couldn't resist.

"Hey, did you need something?" I opened the door to find her sitting in my chair, with her feet propped up on my desk, her book in her hands.

"I guess you could say that." She put her book down and stood up. She shut the door behind me and locked it quickly. I liked where this was heading. She moved fast and was in front of me before I knew what was happening.

"If I do say so myself, I believe that I am being seduced by a doctor." I smirked and she slowly nodded.

"You bet you are." She said quietly before putting her finger up to her lips to notion that we must be quiet, then she crashed her lips into mine. I lifted her up so she was sitting on my desk. I didn't care if my papers got scattered or messed up, all I knew was that I wanted her. Now.

Being careful of her arm, I slid my hands up the back of her shirt. That was the first time I really got to feel her soft skin since she got back. She bit my lip and lifted my shirt over my head.

"Can we do this here?" I questioned and she pulled away.

"I mean, unless you want to wait until we get home…" She trailed off and I violently shook my head no. She smiled and went back to kissing me. Her lips moved to my neck and I was working on getting her shirt off with her sling. Eventually, she just threw the sling off and her shirt.

She was sucking on my ear when my lips found her collarbone, her sweet spot. She let out a soft moan and my fingers fiddled with the clasp of her bra. It popped open after a few seconds. My hands travelled to the straps to remove it when I heard the creak of the door. Zoe and I both jumped about a foot in the air and she held me in front of her to shield whoever it was from seeing her.

"Hey Wade, I was looking at the numbers for the inventory of the Stel- Oh, sorry!" Wanda exclaimed as she looked up and saw the current situation she had walked in on. She turned a deep shade of red, like she had something to be embarrassed about. She quickly let herself out before either Zoe or Wade had the chance to say anything.

"Oh my…"

"God." I finished for her. We both hung our heads and got dressed.

"I don't even want to go out there!"

"You can sneak out the back at least1 I have to at least talk to Wanda. God this is going to be so awkward!" My face was red and so was Zoe's. We were both dressed now, but too embarrassed to leave the small office. She had all of her things gathered and was taking a few deep breaths to calm down from all of the excitement.

"Okay, on three I'll open the door. One, two,…three!" She said and opened it and basically ran out the door and then out the back entrance before anyone saw her. I looked around and no one seemed to be looking at me, so Wanda must not have said anything.

"Hey Wanda," I approached her and she had an awkward grin on her face. I reached up and put my hand on the back of my neck. I adverted my gaze and looked at the floor.

"Sorry about that, I just, well, we got carried away, and it was totally inappropriate. It shouldn't have happened, and I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it Wade, I get it. Tom and I get carried away sometimes too." She winked at me and walked away. I could have lived without knowing that.

I left the Rammer Jammer at about 3 and went back to Zoe's, knowing she would be waiting there. I opened the door, but didn't find her. I noticed the bathroom door was closed and the light was on, shining under the door. I knocked.

"Hey Zo, I'm home." I yelled through the door and sat on the bed while I took off my boots. She emerged in the doorway only seconds later, wearing a black silk robe, which was open, revealing the black lace lingerie she was wearing. I gulped.

"I thought we could finish what we started earlier?" She said as she made her way to me. All I could do was nod.


	6. She's Everything by Brad Paisley

"So what did Wanda say?" She asked me as we were lying in her bed.

"Oh she said it was fine and that her and Tom get carried away sometimes too…that I didn't need to hear."

"You know what's funny? I thought I locked the door?"

"Yeah, about that…you did, it just doesn't lock." I said sheepishly.

"Wade! Why didn't you say something?" She sat up in bed, taking the covers with her.

"Well when your girlfriend is basically telling you she wants it then and there, you aren't really thinking about other things!" I defended myself and she threw her head back and laughed a hearty laugh. It was good to see her actually laugh again.

"That might be the most mortified I have ever been. I never want to see Wanda again!"

"You? I had to go confront her about it! Talk about awkward!" I rolled over on to my side and looked at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Liar, why are you looking at me?"

"What, I can't look at my beautiful girlfriend?" She blushed.

"You can watch me leave to go take a shower." She winked at me and slid out of bed.

"That's fine too, I enjoy it just as much that way." She scoffed and sauntered off into the bathroom, disappearing from my view. I heard the shower turn on.

"You know I never said you couldn't join me." She stuck her head around the doorframe and raised her eyebrow. I jumped out of her bed and ran to the bathroom.

"So you wanna order a pizza or something?"

"How about Chinese?"

"Doc, this isn't New York, we've got delivered pizza or we're going somewhere. Unless you wanna make somethin' but I don't know if I'm up for spendin' my night in the bathroom."

"Hey! Watch it! Pizza's fine with me. You know, one of these days, I'm gonna get you some authentic Chinese takeout."

"Sounds like a plan." I nodded and dialed the number of the pizza place in town. Frederick Dean arrived 20 minutes later with the pizza and I paid him. We sat down to eat on her couch in front of the TV, she grabbed the plates and I grabbed drinks, two beers. I loved when she drank beer, it was one of those things that I found incredibly sexy but couldn't really explain why.

"So I ask him what his reason was for coming into the ER and he looked at me and said, 'What's an ER?' and then started cracking up. I'm not kidding, this guy was stoned out of his mind! It was awful!" She exclaimed, finishing a story she had started earlier. I laughed along and her phone started to ring, she looked at the number and apologized, telling me she had to take it. She stepped away and I focused my attention on the TV, not wanting to be rude and eavesdrop. She returned a few minutes later.

"Bad news." She gave me a sad smile and sat back down on the couch.

"What is it?"

"That was my mother's lawyer, I thought that everything was settled with her will and such, but apparently, there's a clause that was left out by accident and I have to go back to New York." She shrugged.

"Well that's not so bad, for how long?"

"I guess only a few days, but I have some other things to do since I'm going back anyway, I have to officially list my apartment to sell, I think I'll sell her apartment too, I mean she left it to me, but there's no use in having it just sit there, right? I guess I'll also go through some of the storage units and decide whether to bring it back with me or trash it because it's pointless to just have her stuff sitting in storage, getting dusty. I can pick up my last paycheck so they don't have to mail it, I hate having checks mailed to me, it's sketchy."

"Sounds like you'll be busy. When are you leaving?"

"I guess tomorrow morning, they said they wanted me up there as soon as possible, so I guess I'll fly out there and rent a car to drive back."

"Well you come back to me when you're good and ready Doc. I'll be waiting. Wait, why are you driving back?" I smiled and questioned.

"Because who knows how much crap I'll have."

"Is that such a good idea with your arm? Why don't you call back and see if they can push it back a few weeks?" I really wasn't comfortable with my injured girlfriend driving 18 hours with one arm, even if she did break up the trip.

"Probably not, which is why I was going to see if maybe you wanted to get that Chinese food earlier than expected? I know you probably can't because of the Rammer Jammer, but it would just be a huge help. But then again, you've already missed so much work because of me." She felt bad asking, I could tell.

"Of course I'll come with you, that's the benefit of having a business partner, so they can watch the place while you're helping your girlfriend completely move back home." I laughed and got a giddy feeling inside, and I really wasn't one for being giddy. New York was so foreign to me, the only time I've seen it was in movies.

"Really?" I nodded. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best! I can't wait to show you the city, you can get a beer at 4 in the morning anywhere, or lobster for that matter! We aren't going to sleep the entire time because I have to show you everything!" She was rambling and already planning our itinerary.

"Woah, slow your roll there Doc, we still have to buy tickets and everything." She hopped up from her seat next to me on the couch and ran back into her bedroom. She returned a few seconds later with her laptop.

"Okay, there's a 6:50 am flight from Mobile to Charlotte, which get's in at 9:42, and then a 10:25 flight from Charlotte to JFK, which arrives at 12:07. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah, unless we get delayed from Mobile and arrive late in Charlotte, which means we'd miss our connecting flight. Are there other flights from Charlotte to New York that day that we could make if we missed it?" I questioned and she searched.

"Oh yeah! There's an 11:20, a 1:18, a 6:40, and even a 10:11 if we get really delayed. We'll be fine!"

"Okay, so a 6:50 flight, means we'll have to get there around 5:30, and Mobile is like an hour away, so we'll have to leave at 4:30. That's in like seven hours." I laughed and she joined me.

"Well I guess that means you gotta get to packing!" She jumped up and ran to her bedroom. I just shook my head and went out to my place. When I got there though, I realized that I had no idea what to bring.

"Why hello. Can't get enough of me?" She joked when she answered my phone call.

"Of course, but I really had no idea what to pack. What's the weather like there?"

"Well it's the end of summer, so it'll be like 70, but I'd pack definitely a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, if not a jacket. It might get chilly at night, and it may rain, so, there's that."

"Okay, but like t-shirts and stuff? Nothing fancy right?"

"No, you don't need anything fancy." She laughed at my numerous questions.

"Alright ya goof, go back to packing." I hung up the phone and threw some t-shirts, a few flannels, a sweatshirt, and a jacket into my duffle bag. Next, I put a few pairs of jeans and even a pair of khakis. I packed a pair of khaki shorts too, along with my socks and boxers. I decided on a outfit for tomorrow, something comfortable, since we'd be flying all day, a pair of jeans and a cotton t-shirt with a zip up jacket and my boots. I made sure I had my wallet and everything packed before I zipped up the bag. I remembered I had to call Lemon and tell her I wouldn't be in for a few days.

"Hi, you've reached Lemon Breeland. Please leave a message and I will return it as soon as I can. Thank you!" I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her answering machine. I was in no mood to deal with her.

"Hey Lemon, it's Wade. Listen, something's come up with Zoe's mom's will and we're heading up to New York for a couple days. If you could cover for me at the Rammer Jammer, that would be great! Thanks, cya." I hung up my phone, which reminded me to pack my charger, which was over at Zoe's. I grabbed my duffle bag and put it in the car, with my outfit for tomorrow outside the bag. I placed them both on the passenger's seat and got in the driver's seat. I drove the fifteen feet to Zoe's and turned the car off, just so it'd be easier to get whatever luggage she's packed in the car in the morning. I got out and took in my outfit that I was going to wear tomorrow. I opened her screen door and saw her running around like a maniac.

"Uhh Doc?"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't hear you come in! Are you finished packing already? I feel like I've barely even started!" I rolled my eyes, of course she wasn't done packing yet, typical Zoe.

"Alright, well I'm all packed, what can I help with?"

"Can you grab that suitcase from under the bed, it's a little difficult with one arm." I did as she asked and watched as she packed clothes and many more shoes than necessary for a few days stay.

"Geez Doc, you plan on moving back? You've got enough clothes in there for an army!"

"You just never know what the weather's going to be like, it could be hot, or cold, or rainy, or windy, or anything! I just want to be prepared!" She didn't even look up from the piles of clothes she was sorting through. She put her jewelry that she needed to bring with her in afterwards, followed by her kindle, her phone charger, and her laptop.

"Okay, then I'll pack my toiletries and stuff in the morning." I agreed, knowing I would need my toothbrush tonight, and in the morning. That was basically the only "toiletry" I had. If she was packing all her hair stuff, like I knew she would, I could just use that.

"So are we staying at your apartment?"

"Unless you want to pay for a hotel."

"Nope, your apartment sounds fine." I smiled, knowing this trip would end up being expensive, even if she had paid for my ticket, which I felt bad about already.

"Okay, you'll have to forgive me though, it has a bed, a couch, and a TV left in it. That's it, I cleaned it all out before I left. So we'll have to stop for some small things to snack on." She was making a mental list of the things we had to do once we got there. We would be arriving tomorrow, Tuesday, but she wouldn't be meeting with her mother's lawyer until Wednesday, so she was planning to start my tour tomorrow as soon as we get there.

She finally finished packing, even though she claimed that she, "knew she was forgetting something!"

"Do you like pierogies?"

"Uh, what? You mean like the dough things?"

"Yeah," She answered me like what else could she mean by that.

"I guess, I've only had them once or twice, but they were good. Why?"

"There's the best Ukraine place that I love, it's hand's down my favorite restaurant. It's settled then, we're going to have to stop there." She was typing things down on her phone so fast that her fingers seemed to be bionic.

"Alright…"

"Okay, so do you wanna do me a huge favor?"

"Depends what it is."

"Can you put this in the car for me?" I laughed at her petty request because she knew I was going to do it anyway. I picked up her extremely heavy suitcase and dragged it out to my car.

"So if we have to leave by 4:30, what time do you want me to set the alarm for?" She asked me when I walked back in the door.

"Well all I have to do is shower, so that will take me like fifteen minutes."

"Okay, so I'll set it for 3:30, I'll get up and shower, and then when I get out, you can get it, and I'll dry my hair and stuff while you're in there and collect all the last minute things I need."

"Doc, if you're setting the alarm for 3:30, I say we head to bed. That's in five hours now!" She giggled.

"Well if you insist on getting me into bed so quickly." She raised her eyebrows in a sexual way, but I wasn't falling for it this time.

"Nope, if you don't sleep, that's fine, you can sleep in the car or on the plane, but I have to drive to Mobile, so I actually need some sleep if you don't mind." I smirked and removed the t-shirt I had on.

"But Waaaaaaade, how do you expect me to sleep when you're next to me all hot and shirtless?"

"The same way that I somehow manage to sleep next to your practically naked body every night." I responded and got into her bed. It was her turn to roll her eyes and she huffed and puffed around for a few minutes before hitting the lights and crawling in next to me.

The brutal buzz of the alarm clock reminded me of my earlier years of high school. It was just as awful then as it is now. Thankfully, she reached over and turned it off. She stretched a little and then got out of bed. I knew I had about another 30 minutes to sleep, but I couldn't go back to a peaceful slumber, so I got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen, still half asleep. I turned the coffee pot on and waited for it to brew. I looked around her small kitchenette, hungry. She had some bread, cashews, a few apples, and she kept milk and butter in her mini fridge. I improvised and put two slices of toast in the toaster and got the butter from the fridge. I poured my coffee and buttered my toast, almost falling abck to sleep at the table. I finished and soon heard the shower turn off. I put two more slices of bread into the toaster and poured another cup of coffee. I sliced an apple and then buttered the toast. I left them on a plate for her and walked back to the bedroom where I found her in her robe, brushing her wet hair.

"Morning." She said, just as tired as I was. I bet she was glad that I made her go to bed when I did now.

"Goodmorning sweetheart." I kissed the top of her head and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom.

"Oh, I made some coffee!" I yelled form the bathroom. She yelled back a 'thanks.' I left the door open, knowing that she would need to be in the bathroom for her hairdryer and such. I turned the hot water on and waited for it to warm up before I jumped in. I took a deep breath while under the water, willing my sleepiness away. I knew I'd be more energized after the shower though. I was putting shampoo in my hair when I heard her enter the bathroom. She pulled back the curtain abruptly.

"Uhh, can I help you?" I asked her and continued to lather the shampoo into my hair.

"You made me breakfast! That's so sweet. Thank you." She leaned in to kiss me, getting wet in the process.

"Uhh, it wasn't a huge deal, just an apple and toast, now get on your way ma'am, I have a girlfriend." She smiled and pulled the curtain shut. I rinsed my hair and could hear her padding around the bathroom. I washed my body, but listened to her walking around, the sound of her presence calmed me in a way. First, she dried her hair, and now she must be doing her makeup or something because she was still in the room, but wasn't moving around much. Then I heard a shatter and a ladylike 'motherfucker' slip from her mouth. I turned the water off and leaned my head out the side of the curtain.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I just dropped my coffee and it spilled all over the floor." She was on the ground picking up the broken pieces of her mug. I climbed out and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my waist. I dried off a little and went to get some paper towels from the kitchen to help her clean up. I got all the spilled coffee off of the floor and she managed to get the remnants of the broken mug off of her tile floor. She went back to doing her makeup while I got dressed. I pulled my jeans on, with a white t-shirt and a pull over sweatshirt over it because the night air had a bit of a chill to it. She emerged from the bathroom in a pair of leggings, boots, and a big sweater. She had a bag with her toiletries in and her sunglasses and phone in her hand. She put all of it on the bed, which she made while I brushed my teeth. I gave her my toothbrush and she stuck it in her bag and I looked around, making sure there was nothing left to do.

"Alright, you ready?"

"I think so." She answered and I grabbed some of the things she had to take out to the car for her and opened the door for her to my two-seater Camaro. She climbed in and I shut the door quietly behind her, not wanting to wake Lavon. Zoe had left him a message telling him that we were going out of town for a few days to not worry him when he woke up and we were gone.

I started the car and drove off to Mobile. She slept most of the way there, but the soft hum of the radio kept me company. A Brad Paisley song came on one of the many country radio stations we had.

_She's a yellow pair of running shoes_

_A holy pair of jeans_

_She looks great in cheap sunglasses_

_She looks great in anything_

_She's I want a piece of chocolate_

_Take me to a movie_

_I can't find a thing to wear_

_Now and then she's moody_

_She's a Saturn with a sunroof_

_With her brown hair blowing_

_She's a soft place to land_

_And a good feeling knowing_

_She's a warm conversation_

_That I wouldn't miss for nothing_

_She's a fighter when she's mad_

_But she's a lover when she's loving_

This song was almost a perfect representation of Zoe and how I felt about her. I started to hum along.

_And she's, everything I ever wanted_

_And everything I need_

_I talk about her_

_I go on and on and on_

_Because she's everything to me_

_She's a Saturday at hometown_

_And a church girl on Sunday_

_She's a cross around her neck_

_And a cuss word cause it's Monday_

_She's a bubble bath and candles_

_Baby come and kiss me_

_She's a one glass of wine _

_And she's feeling kinda tipsy._

_She's the giver I wish I could be _

_And a stealer of the covers_

_She's a picture in my wallet_

_And my unborn children's mother_

_She's the hand that I'm holding_

_When I'm on my knees and praying_

_She's the answer to my prayers_

_She's the song that I'm playing_

_And she's everything I ever wanted_

_And everything I need_

_I talk about her _

_I go on and on and on_

_Because she's everything to me_

_She's the voice I love to hear_

_Someday when I'm 90_

_She's the wooden rocking chair_

_I want rocking right beside me_

_Everyday that passes_

_I only love her more_

_Yeah she's the one that I'd lay down my own life for_

_And she's everything I ever wanted_

_And everything I need_

_She's everything to me_

_Yeah she's everything to me_

_Everything I ever wanted_

_And everything I need_

The song ended and another one faded on, but I was still thinking about the last one. I really did want to be with Zoe forever. Of course, marriage was a long way off, but that didn't mean I couldn't think about it. I could picture her wearing a white dress, walking down the aisle towards me. I'll probably cry, and I'm not a crier. I can't wait for that day because it will be the best day of my life. And I know it will happen someday.

I pulled into the Mobile airport parking lot and found a spot. I turned the car off and turned to Zoe. I felt bad waking her because it was still dark outside, but we had to go. I gently shook her uninjured shoulder. She stirred for a few seconds and then opened her eyes.

"Hi," she stretched a bit and then opened her mouth again, "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I tried to stay awake." She yawned and I smiled.

"No, I'm glad you slept." She smiled at me and then we got out and unloaded our bags. I rolled her suitcase behind me and swung my dufflebag over my shoulder. She carried her carryon bag and purse with her good arm and we walked inside. It didn't take long to check our bags or go through security, so we arrived at our gate, 9, at 6:10, and we had about twenty minutes before the plane started boarding.

"I saw a small McDonalds over there? Do you wanna go get a coffee?" She proposed. I nodded and we walked hand in hand over to the small restaurant. We both ordered coffees and by the time they were in our hands, we had to start heading back to the gate because we would be boarding soon.

We were told we could board first because of Zoe's injury, which I wasn't opposed to. We found our seats, and she let me have the window seat because I had never been on a plane before and she's flown so many times, especially the New York to Mobile flight. She often had to catch a connecting flight in Charlotte too, she had told me, because Mobile Regional Airport doesn't make direct flights into New York, only Charlotte and Dallas. The plane took off on time and I was amazed by how fastly we got so high in the air.

"We're so high right now."

"Pssh, I wish we were so high right now. Maybe that would calm my nerves a bit. I was never a huge fan of flying, but I had to do it all the time for my job, so I kind of got used to it.

"Zoe Hart, a reformed stoner, huh?"

"No! Absolutely not! I prefer the term 'reformed experimenter.'" I just laughed at her trying to defend herself.

"Whatever you say Doc. So what was your craziest flying story?"

"One time, I was flying from Boston to New York, an easy flight, like an hour, but there was this huge snow storm and I had been staying at my dad's place in Boston for a few days on a little vacation, but he was coming back, so I was heading back to New York. My plane was scheduled for 9 in the morning, but all of the planes were grounded because of the storm, so I had to sleep in the airport for two days."

"Two days? That sounds awful! That's why I never really had a huge desire to leave the comforting walls of Bluebell, where the weather is almost always comfortable and easy to live with."

"Except that day in the barn. You hated me then."

"I never hated you."

"You said you hated me…"

"You know I never meant that though, I was just frustrated because I liked you so much and you never even gave me a second glance. You sure know how to break a man's heart Doc." I feigned pain in my heart and she smacked me across the chest.

"Shut up, maybe if you hadn't been so stubborn in admitting your feelings for me then it would have happened a lot sooner than it did." She had a point there, I was partially to blame for how long it took us to get together.

"Whatever you say Doc, whatever you say." She rolled her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes, planning to sleep the entire flight. I was fine with that because I was enjoying looking out the window. Everything looked like a map from this high up. You could see fields and houses, but they were so miniscule. It wasn't like anything I had ever seen before.

I put my headphones in and dozed off myself about an hour later.

She nudged me awake when we were landing. I'm glad she did, too, because it was pretty neat to see the plane landing and how to earth just got bigger and bigger as we got closer and closer.

We landed a bit behind schedule, but we were still able to make our connecting flight. Again, she let me have to window seat and I took it gratefully. This trip would be shorter, so I didn't fall asleep, but I tried to contain my excitement and nervousness about New York. This was her stomping ground, you could say, my life was in her hands now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, we are descending upon JFK airport where it is 75 degrees and sunny, a perfect day to be in the city that never sleeps. Have a great day and thank you for flying American Airlines." The intercom announced and I was excited, the weather was great, and it made me feel like a kid again. Like when my mama was still alive and her and Earl took Jesse and me to Disney World for a few days. We drove there, but there was still this excitement about being in a place you've never been to before. She collected our carryon and we departed the plane. The first thing I noticed was the sheer amount of people that were in the airport. There were more people in the airport right now than I had ever met in my entire life, I was sure of it.

She was walking incredibly fast and dodging her way through throngs of people who were only concerned about getting to where they had to be and not caring who they trampled in the process. I was worried about her with her injured arm, but I knew she could take care of herself. We stopped at the luggage pick up and found our bags relatively quickly. She made her way to the doors and I followed. She pushed the door open and I was hit with a humid, sticky air.

"Welcome to New York Wade!" She said as I looked up at the tallest building I had ever seen. Everyone talks about how the city had a certain feeling to it, but you can't imagine it until you've experienced. It was magical in some aspects, but scary in others.


	7. She's Got A Way by Billy Joel

"So, whatcha think?" She asked when we arrived at her apartment. She had hailed a taxi to get us here because of all the bags we had. She didn't want to ride the subway with all of this stuff, which was understandable.

"It sure is somethin', Doc. It's a lot to take in for sure."

"I can't tell if that means that you like it or not."

"All I've seen is tall buildings and throngs of people so far!" I laughed and defended myself. I couldn't possibly formulate an opinion in the fifteen minutes we've been in the city.

"I guess you're right. Well this is my old apartment, sorry it's not much to look at. I clearly thought that I wouldn't be back."

"Do you really think I care what your old apartment looks like? You're crazy." She laughed and knew she was being a little strange apologizing for how her apartment looked.

"You're right, nevermind. Anyway, the bathroom is in there, but I think other than that, everything is kind of obvious, it's not a huge place or anything. How about we go for lunch?"

"Sure, lead the way!" She grabbed her purse and I held the door open for her. She locked it behind her and then took my hand. We rode the subway and she nodded to me when we were getting off. We ran up the stairs of the subway and emerged in a busy section of the city.

"Come on!" She yelled amidst the craziness and reached for my hand. I grabbed it, more for my sake than hers. If I lost her, I'd be lost for good. We walked to the corner of the street and crossed in a pack of tourists. I saw the first green things since we've arrived in the city. There was a lot of it, actually, and it stretched out for as far as I could see. We approached a gate, which read 'Central Park.'

"I know this is cliché, but during my breaks, I would come here and get a hotdog and just sit because that would be the first time in 16 hours usually that I had the chance to sit. I even fell asleep on a bench here once." She laughed as we entered the park.

We seemed to escape the pack of tourists, who had spread out once we entered the park. She had changed when we arrived at the apartment into some of her short shorts and a shirt, paired with her signature heels. We had walked so much already today and I thought it was preposterous how she was surviving in those. She slowed down at a food stand and got her wallet out.

"I'll have two hotdogs with everything on them and two diet cokes." The guy behind the cart nodded, while I stepped in to pay.

"Wade, stop, this trip is my treat, really. I'm just glad you're here with me. This is your payment for helping me move!" She laughed and I gave her a look.

"Doc, really, it's no big deal, it's two hotdogs." She handed the man her money and I sighed. She retrieved the hotdogs and I grabbed the drinks and we sat on a bench.

"When my mom was diagnosed, I would come out here while she was resting. I spent so much time in that hospital over the past ten years, but when my fellowship ended and she got sick, I couldn't stand it anymore. It's like my whole life, all I wanted to do was be there, and when I finally was, I couldn't take it anymore. It just reminded me of everything I was missing at home, and everyone that was there. I would come here, and I would sit on that rock over there," she pointed off in the distance, "and just stare at the boathouse. That's where my parents were married, in this lavish ceremony with a million people there and all I could think about was how when I was little, that was what I wanted. I wanted a huge classy boathouse ceremony like they did, but now, I just think about how that was the start of my mother's life as a lie. She ruined the boathouse for me."

"Doc, I don't think she ever meant to hurt you, I just think she was trying to protect you."

"I know she was, and that's why it sucks so much that she's gone. I was just starting to forgive her for not telling me, and then she went and got sick."

"You said pancreatic cancer, right?" She nodded, "That's what took my mama too."

"Well that certainly won't be good for our kids." She stopped once she realized what she had said.

"I didn't mean like our kids, together, I just meant like our own kids, unless that's what you want because-"

"Zoe! Stop, it's fine!" I laughed at her concern over what she had said. Normally, if it were any other girl, I would have freaked. But things are different with Zoe. I didn't mind the thought. She blushed.

"That means that we both have the cancer gene in our family, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know, but do you honestly think that you would rather not have kids rather than risk them maybe having cancer some day?"

"I'm not sure, I really haven't thought about it. I mean I don't think that fact would deter me from having kids, it's just hard to explain, after everything that happened over the summer, I don't think that I would survive having an actual child taken from me. It would hurt too much." Her eyes were welling up with tears.

"I know baby, I know." I pulled her head into my chest and kissed the top of her head. We remained there for a while until she stood up.

"Come on, let's go get ice cream." She gave me a half smile and she grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bench.

"This place has the best homemade ice cream!" She was excited when she pulled me into a small shop.

"This is a good time to come too, because if we came any later this place would be packed." She kept her eyes glued on the list of today's flavors while talking. I looked at the menu and knew exactly what she would order.

"I'll have two mint chocolate chips please." I ordered and paid.

"How'd you know what I was going to get?" She looked at me with curious eyes.

"I know you better than you think Hart, all those nights we met at the fuse box Doc, you have ice cream as a snack every Wednesday night." She gave me a look of wonder.

"Wow, you really do know me well." She was stupefied at my knowledge of her. I lazily put my arm around her and we sat at a table.

"So what's next?" I asked as I licked the ice cream that was starting to drip down my cone.

"Well, I thought we could hit up a few more of my favorite places and then, tomorrow I have that meeting with my mom's lawyer, and then I thought we could go clean out the storage units and then we can head out early Friday morning, and get home by Saturday so I can hear you sing again at Open Mic Night."

"Well that only gives you the rest of the day to show me New York City then! Let's get going!" So far, I was impressed with New York, it didn't have the same feeling as home did, but there was an ambiance in the air that just made you believe that no matter what was going on in your life, that everything would be okay. We finished our cones and I realized how the sun had started to dip into the sky.

"Hurry up! We have to get somewhere before the sun sets!" She nearly burst with excitement. I put my sweatshirt back around my shoulders and watch as she uncomfortably tried to maneuver with her sling on.

"What can I do to help you?" I asked her as I noticed her struggle.

"I don't think you can do anything unless you have a time machine!" She laughed, but continued walking at a fast pace.

"Where are we going?" I finally caught up to her.

"You'll see!" We rode the subway again and she led me into a building. We rode in the elevator to the top floor and then we stood in line.

"This is the Empire State Building. You can see everything from here, it's crazy." She said as we waited to pay to go up even further. We did and she led me up the stairs. When we reached the observation deck, I was amazed. I was positive the only other time I had been this high up was when we were in the airplane a few hours before.

"Wow, this is crazy! You weren't lying, you really can see everything from up here." I put in a quarter into one of those binocular things. Zoe was pointing out different landmarks to me as I moved to see them all.

"Doc, you lived here during 9/11 right?"

"Yeah, I've lived here my whole life, you know that."

"I know, but I never really thought about it. What was that like?"

"That day was awful, to say the least. It's hard to describe it because it was so surreal that it didn't even seem like it was happening. I was in school when it happened, we were in 2nd period. One minute we were studying logarithms and the next minute, everything just stopped. I remember that day like it was yesterday. We couldn't do anything but just sit there. They wanted to close down, but the subway was shut down, there was no cell service, all the lines were blocked. They didn't want to let us go and have us get into trouble or something. We stayed in second period all day, watching the news. We watched the second plane hit barely fifteen minutes after the first one. That's when we knew it wasn't an accident. This was planned, and everyone was a mess. The boy sitting next to me that day, his dad was in the building. He tried 96 times to call his dad that day. 96 times and he didn't get through once. My mom was in there, but she was on a lower floor, so I was upset, but I wasn't a mess, I knew she would be okay. My dad was in Germany, and I had no idea where to go once they finally let us out. The South Tower collapsed not even an hour after it was hit. You could hear the collective shriek that everyone gave out, the teachers, the students, the people outside, it was awful. Then the north tower collapsed. My stomach was in my throat, I couldn't breathe. The mayor ordered the evacuation of everyone beneath Canal Street, so they had to let us go. Once we got outside, just the sheer number of papers that littered the ground. There was dust everywhere, everything was covered and it was silent, like just after it snows, there was an eerie silence. Thankfully Gigi found me amidst the chaos and she grabbed my hand and together we walked over the bridge to New Jersey to her cousin's house. We walked for two hours straight, and the people on the street were just devastated. There were people who were hurt and bleeding and coughing, and you couldn't do anything. We reached her cousin's house at 2 and we stayed there that night, both of us trying to reach our parents, but we couldn't. Gigi's parents weren't in either tower, but I just had this feeling that she was okay. I slept on the couch, but Gigi came out and slept in the living room with me because neither of us wanted to be alone. It was by far the scariest, longest day of my life."

"Wow, that sounds horrible; I can't even imagine being here for that."

"We were finally allowed back in the city two days later and New York was just different. It hasn't been the same since."

"Wow, I can't even imagine. School closed when the news broke, but New York just seemed like a different country to us, none of us had ever been and it was scary, but it didn't seem real." I told her and she nodded her head, agreeing.

"Sorry, I know this whole trip has been a lot of cliché touristy things, but I'll take you to one of my favorite places for dinner tonight, and then we'll go to my second favorite bar."

"Why aren't we going to your first favorite?"

"Because we aren't in Bluebell." She flashed me a smile and I had to grin. I was glad that mine was her favorite. After I thought I had seen all I could see up on the Top of the Rock as they call it, we left. She called the restaurant we were going to to make a reservation, just in case.

"In the winter, they have the tree lighting ceremony, which is definitely an experience, and you have to ice skate here at least once in your life. It's amazing! I'm an awful ice skater though, have you ever been?"

"I've been skating a lot, we used to be big on the pond skating when it froze for like a week in the winter. Before school, after school, in the later years, even during school, we were all out there, Jesse, Tucker, Lavon, all of us fooled around out there. Playing hockey, mostly."

"Never pegged you as a hockey guy."

"Why, cause I have all my teeth?" I grinned, showing all of them, and she laughed.

"No, just I've never seen you play or anything. I've just seen you toss a football around a few times in the backyard with Lavon."

"Doc, we'll have to make a trip to Bluebell High when we get back."

"Well I am most definitely looking forward to it."

We made our way back to her apartment and around 8, we left to go to dinner. We were finished by 9:30 and she said we could walk to her favorite bar.

We walked about fifteen minutes before she stopped in front of a small bar with a light up sign out front. She opened the door and I followed her in. She led us to two open seats at the bar. After a few minutes someone approached us.

"Zoe Hart, what in the world are you doing back here?!" A man yelled from behind the bar. Zoe and I both turned our heads at the sound.

"Michael! I can't believe it! I didn't think you'd be here! How are you? How's Cassie?" She asked excitedly as she ran over to hug the guy. I immediately felt a pang of jealousy, but regretted it. I didn't even know who this guy was.

"I'm always here it seems. But I'm great, busy as ever of course, but great. Cassie is definitely something else. She's almost 2 now, so she's getting to be that age where everything is a tantrum. Let me call Christina, she'll want to come and see you." He said and went back to the room behind the bar. She mad her way back to me with a big smile on her face.

"That's Michael, he married my best friend in med school, Christina. I was the maid of honor at their wedding." I nodded my head and instinctively sighed a sigh of relief.

"So what're you doing back in town? I thought you were going home for good. And between you and I, I personally hope this is Wade." Michael said as he came up to us at the bar again. He was making some drinks while he glanced up.

"Yes, this is Wade. Wade, this is Michael."

"Good to meet ya." He stuck his hand out and I grabbed it and shook it.

"Apparently there is one thing left to handle with my mom's will, so we're only in town for a few days." Christina appeared behind the bar now, with a small girl in her arms.

"They live upstairs, he owns the bar." Zoe filled me in quickly.

"Zoe Hart, you better only be back for a short stay because as much as I love having you here, I believe a Mr. Wade needs you in Bluebell more." She said before noticing that I was sitting there with her.

"Talk about me a lot, huh Doc?" I joked and she blushed.

"I missed you so much and I've only been gone like 4 days."

"And already a new injury I see. Nothing unusual."

"Give me that baby!" She said and reached her hands out to the girl who was itching to be let down from her mother's arms.

"This is Wade, Wade this is Christina." I shook her hand too.

"Well Zoe you weren't lying at all. He sure is something to look at." Christina said, this time making both Zoe and I blush.

"Stop it! He's going to get a big head if he thinks all I did while I was here was talk about him."

"Well, you did…" Michael butted in.

"Hey, let me just hand the reigns over to Zach and we'll find a table and catch up, how's that sound?" Christina offered. Zoe nodded her head and in the meantime, I turned my attention to someone who was singing some blues song and playing the piano.

"Shut up, Mike, is it open mic night?"

"Every Tuesday night, you know that."

"Wade, you have to do it!"

"No." I deadpanned. Singing in Bluebell was one thing, but singing in New York City was totally different.

"Come on, please, I love hearing you sing. You sing at the Rammer Jammer all the time!"

"That's different, I only know country and New York isn't country."

"Oh come on, people play country here all the time, you'd be great." Christina added. I sighed and knew I was losing this battle.

"Fine, what would you like to hear?" I asked her and she debated.

"Hmm…surprise me." She winked and I knew which song I was going to play. It wasn't country, which relieved me. The person already on stage ended and I took that as my queue to go up. She squeezed my hand before I got up. In a turn of events, I sat in front of the piano.

"Alright, I know you guys know this one because he's a New York native, so here goes nothing." I said into the microphone before taking a deep breath. I was unnaturally nervous.

_She's got a way about her_

_I don't know what it is_

_But I know that I can't live without her_

_She's got a way of pleasin'_

_I don't know what it is_

_But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway _

I looked into her eyes again, just like I did the night that she came back to Bluebell. She had tears in her eyes, remembering.

_She's got a smile that heals me_

_I don't know why it is_

_But I have to laugh when she reveals me_

_She's got a way of talkin'_

_I don't know why it is_

_But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere_

_She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

_Inspires me without a sound _

_She touches me and I get turned around _

I had sung this to her while we were dating, when she was sick and forced me to stay with her. She was miserable and all other options had been exhausted so I tried singing to her. It seemed to work, too, because she had fallen asleep. I joked with her when he was better that I didn't know if I should take that as a compliment or not.

_She's got a way of showin'_

_How I make her feel_

_And I find the strength to keep on goin'_

_She's got a light around her_

_And ev'rywhere she goes_

_A million dreams of love surround her ev'rywhere_

_She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

_Inspires me without a sound_

_She touches me and I get turned around_

_She's got a smile that heals me_

_I don't know why it is_

_But I have to laugh when she reveals me_

_She's got a way about her_

_I don't know what it is_

_But I know that I can't live without her anyway_

I finished and everyone applauded. I got up and headed back to the table that the group had claimed. Zoe was wiping her eyes when I came back to the table.

"Wade, I didn't even know you could piano! And you remembered!" She hugged me, her tears staining my shirt.

"Of course I remembered, that was only the worst week of my life. Wade get me medicine, Wade, grab me the remote. Wade, get me food." I laughed, trying to cheer her up.

"Shut up, you just ruined a great moment."

"Don't ever have kids, they ruin all of the romance." Christina said sarcastically as I took a seat in the booth next to Zoe.

"I think she means don't ever get married." Mike said and I had to laugh. Christina hit him across the chest.

"No, I'm just kidding. So should we be marking our calendars for a trip down to Bluebell anytime soon?" Mike said and I froze. I had been thinking a lot about marriage lately, but it was surely too early for that, right? Unless that's what she wants because I would marry her tonight if that's what she wants.

"Uhh, we have no plans at the moment." She said nervously and I think feeling the same way I did. Christina nodded and gave her husband a look. He shut up and Christina carried on the conversation.

"So Wade, we hear that you own a bar, too. How's that going?"

"Well I wouldn't be the person to ask seeing as I haven't been back to work officially since this one came back to town." I pointed my thumb over at Zoe.

"How romantic, having lots of bedroom time I assume." Christina raised her eyebrows and Zoe blushed.

"That of course, and her dislocating her shoulder."

"She could have taken care of herself! I've seen it time and time again, I'm sure she would have been fine." Mike laughed.

"Yeah, but she shouldn't have to." I smiled and grabbed her hand. A smile spread across her face and she couldn't contain her happiness.

"Right now, in this moment, I'm happier than I've ever been." She said to Christina, who smiled.

"I'm glad. We never wanted anything other than that for you. So you're meeting with the lawyer tomorrow?"

"Yeah, hopefully that will be quick. We're hoping to be back in Bluebell by Saturday and it's a two day trip home, so our fingers are crossed."

"Yeah, she wanted to come and drive back by herself, which would mean drive 18 hours by herself, with one arm." I explained and they laughed.

"God, Zoe should never be behind the wheel of a car for two minutes, let alone 18 hours!" Mike exclaimed.

"Oh, I know, trust me, I had to teach her how to drive stick shift in case of an emergency and no one else was around, all the cars are stick shift. That was an experience for sure." Everyone smiled and the conversation went on until about one. Zoe got teary saying goodbye, but promised to call when we got back.

"You ready to head back?" She asked me and I nodded and grabbed her hand. I told Christina and Mike that it was nice to meet them and she put on her sweater and grabbed her purse. We walked back to her apartment and I was surprised by the amount of people still out. When I come home from the bar around 1 there usually isn't a soul around in Bluebell.

I was relieved when we arrived back at the apartment because I didn't know how much more walking I could take for one day. I kicked my boots off at the door and Zoe went into the bathroom to wash her face and everything after I brushed my teeth. I stripped my jeans off and my t-shirt and jumped into her bed. It was comfy, and I was almost asleep by the time she came into the room. She was wearing one of my t-shirts.

"Asleep already?"

"What can I say? You wore me out Doc." I shrugged and watched as she removed the sling from her arm. She slowly pulled on it and winced.

"Well if it hurts, don't do it!" I laughed as she shrugged and climbed into bed.

"I have to stretch it!" She exclaimed and snuggled into me.

"Whatever you say Doc."

A few minutes of silence past and I thought maybe she had fallen asleep until her words pierced the silence that surrounded us.

"Hey Wade?"

"Yeah Doc?"

"I meant what I said earlier, about me being the happiest I've ever been. You make me immensely happy."

"Good, because that's the only thing I want to do. That's my only goal, for you to be happy. I'm just glad it's with me." She giggled.

"Of course it is. No one else could make me this happy."

"Promise?"

"Always." She responded and I smiled, knowing that she was falling asleep. I kissed her on the top of her head and rubbed circles on her back until I felt her breathing steady, signaling that she was asleep.


	8. Drops of Jupiter by Train

The sun woke me up the next morning. I reached for Zoe next to me, but the bed was empty. I stumbled out of bed after rubbing my eyes and found a note on the kitchen counter.

_Left for my mom's lawyer, you looked like _

_you were enjoying the extra sleep so I decided not to wake you. _

_Hope to be home soon. I love you_

_-Z_

_p.s. There's a small coffee shop down the road _

_if you take a left when you leave the building. Don't get lost._

I smiled at the note written in her girly handwriting. She had been in a rush, I could tell. My stomach grumbled and I checked the time. It was nearly 11. I looked out her window and it seemed like a nice day again and I tried to open the window to check the temperature. It must be jammed though because it wouldn't open. I shrugged and decided that since it was so close anyway, a sweatshirt wouldn't be needed. I hopped in the shower and within ten minutes I was out the door. I grabbed my wallet and followed her directions to the coffee shop. I ordered a black coffee, which was wildly expensive I thought, especially for what I got, and a bagel. I ate in the café and took the rest of my coffee back up to her place. An hour past before I heard her jumbling for her keys outside the door.

"Why hello there." She smiled when I opened the door to spare her from having to go through the trouble of actually finding her keys.

"Hi. How was your meetin'?"

"It was interesting for sure. So here's the thing. When my mom died, she left her company to me. Like the entire thing, to me. And I know next to nothing about public relations so I figured I would sell it, that's what I'm sure she intended for me to do anyway. But we have a buyer."

"For real? That's great. That was fast too!"

"Yeah, and that's not all…" She trailed off, building the anticipation with a big smile on her face.

"What?"

"They're offering me $6 million dollars for the entire thing."

"You're shitting me. $6 million dollars?! Zoe Hart you're going to be my sugar mama." I laughed as I picked her up and swung her around.

"I know! I signed the papers and everything! I'm a millionaire!" She was so excited that she clung to me and giggled.

"That's insane. Wow, I mean, your mom must really have been looking out for you if she knew how much her company was worth. Wow. I'm in shock."

"Tell me about it! Let's go grab lunch, it's my treat."

"You better bet it's your treat." I retorted and she laughed.

"I have to read this letter first, she gave her lawyer a few letters to give me when I sold the company and stuff, and she gave me a few to open on special occasions after she died, but I got one today and I want to read it first."

"Alright, that's fine, I didn't eat too long ago anyway." I said as she sat on the couch and took an envelope out of her purse. I gave her space so she could read her letter. Tears were streaming down her face by the end, and I felt bad, but I didn't want to pry, especially because this was private.

"Wow," She said once she finished. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes before asking me if I wanted to read it. I was touched that she even thought of me while she was reading the letter.

"Of course." I replied and she handed me the letter before getting up and going into the bathroom to fix her makeup.

_Zoe,_

_First off, I'll start this like all of my other letters saying how much I miss you. I don't know when you'll be reading this letter, but if you are, I can only hope that you sold the company. I let you have everything so you could get the money and go build yourself a life with Wade in Bluebell. As happy as I am that you stayed in New York during my last few months, it's time for you to be with him now. He needs you more than I do. As I've always told you, spend your money wisely, but that doesn't mean that you can splurge on something. That carriage house sure is too small for two people, and especially too small for a family one day. So buy your dream house baby, or build one. Build a house that you can start a life in, and settle down once and for all. You deserve to be happy, and I know money doesn't buy happiness, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't make life a little easier. That's all I ever wanted for you Zo, is for you to live easily and happily. So I only ask that you put this money to good use and spend it making yourself happy. I'll always love you and I'll always be watching over you._

_-Mom_

When I finished reading, I could feel some tears pooling in my eyes. I hadn't meant to get that emotional, and I don't think I would have if she hadn't mentioned Zoe coming back to me. Even her mom knew how much I needed her. That must make me seem pathetic, but I was okay with that. I blinked my tears away and folded the note on the coffee table. Zoe emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and we walked to lunch. We ate at a small café and then headed over to the storage unit.

"Alright, I'll start by going through things I guess, and then can you just bag up the stuff that can be trashed and the stuff that I want to take back to Bluebell?" She asked as I opened the door to the unit. I nodded and was surprised that there was a lot of stuff.

She sat on the couch that was in there and started going through a box. She was moving through them pretty fast. I was busy putting the trash pile into bags when I stumbled upon a box labeled Family Photo Albums. My interest was peaked and I opened the box and pulled out the first album. Zoe seemed to be in her later high school years in these pictures. They were mostly of Zoe, but there were a few of her and her mom on Christmas and special events.

"I always had a hunch you had been beautiful your whole life." Her ears perked at the sound of my voice.

"What do you mean?"

"These pictures, Zo you were like 17 here and you're gorgeous even then."

"Oh, thanks." She blushed when she looked at the picture I was talking about over my shoulder.

"Oh my god. Why did I not know this? Zoe Hart, this is definitely something you should have told me!"

"What?" She looked worried after my outburst. I was laughing hysterically and couldn't even explain it, I could just point to the photo.

"Oh Wade, no! You weren't supposed to see those! Come on! Stop!" She tried to finagle the photo album from my arms but I just turned my back to her.

"I cannot believe you were Prom Queen and never told me. That's rich!" I was still laughing and she was too, but obviously embarrassed.

"I just didn't want you guys to think I was some priss when I moved to Bluebell. I wanted you guys to think I was down to Earth, which I am."

"Uhh Doc, sorry to break it to you, but everyone thought you were a priss when you came to Bluebell." She rolled her eyes.

"I know, and some of them haven't gotten over it."

"Well hey, if it makes you feel any better, you're looking at Bluebell High's 1999 Prom King."

"Shut up, you're lying." She stared at me in disbelief.

"Nope, I beat out Tucker and everything. I was quite the stud back then."

"Well you're quite the stud now." She winked at me and I laughed.

"Well that means that we're royalty I guess." She smiled and placed a kiss on my lips. I continued looking through photo albums for about fifteen minutes before she roused me from my content place on the couch.

"I asked you to come to help, not make fun of me. Let's go." I put the photo album down and went back to sorting through things.

"Oh my gosh, I forgot all about this. It's my blankie from when I was little!"

"How adorable, a little bit dustier than the one you have now, dontcha think?"

"That's not a blankie! It's just the blanket I prefer to sleep with." She defended herself.

"So…a blankie." I stated and earned a slap across the chest.

"Shut up." She scolded.

We had almost everything done by 4, and she knew everything that she wanted to take home with her and we put it aside to load into the rental car tomorrow. It consisted of her mother's jewelry, a couch, a kitchen table, chairs, and a few other things. We were going to have to rent a trailer too.

"Hey baby?"

"Yeah?" I turned my head when I shut the storage unit door.

"Well I was going to make a suggestion, but my thoughts were flooded when I saw how sexy you are when you lift heavy objects." She said quietly just so I could hear her. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her.

"What was your suggestion?"

"Well, if you don't want to, that's fine, I understand, but do you maybe want to head out tonight? So we can be home Friday maybe, or stay an extra day at a B&B? I'm just ready to get home, or at least out of the city."

"That's fine with me. How do you wanna do this?"

"Well, I could run back to the apartment, gather our things, and maybe you could go get the truck from the rental place and then we'll meet back here? The rental place is only like two blocks from here."

"Yeah, that's fine. Do you think you'll be able to get all of the things?"

"Yeah, for sure." We parted ways and I followed her directions to the car rental place. They gave me a big Ford F250 and a trailer and helped me hook it up and then I drove back to the storage units. I started to load the small things and then got help from some other guys that were there loading the couch onto the trailer and the table. Before I knew it, everything was loaded and I was just waiting on Zoe. She appeared within minutes of me finishing and I threw her suitcase in the back seat of the truck, just incase it happened to rain.

"You ready to go?" I asked and she nodded. I turned the car on and pulled out of the storage unit place which was just outside Manhattan. I put the plantation address into the GPS and it said that if we drove a straight shot that we would be there in 19 hours and 9 minutes. I sighed, knowing that was a long trip, but we could break it up into two days. By the time we were out of the city, it was 5:30 and I knew that I could drive for a while if we were on the highway. She plugged her phone into the radio jack and I laughed. This would be interesting. A few songs played that I knew the tune to, but not the words. About an hour into our drive, she was getting tired. Car rides always put her to sleep. She was softly singing to the song that came on over the sound system.

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere_

_With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey, hey_

_She acts like summer and walks like rain_

_Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey, hey_

_Since the return from her stay on the moon_

_She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey, hey_

_Hey, hey, hey_

_But tell me, did you sail across the sun?_

_Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded_

_And that heaven is overrated?_

"This used to be my favorite song when I was younger." She told me quietly before continuing to sing along.

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star–_

_One without a permanent scar?_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?_

_Now that she's back from that soul vacation_

_Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey, hey (mmm)_

_She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo_

_Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey, hey (yeah)_

She didn't have the best voice, but then again, neither did I, but her soft singing put my at ease. It relaxed me in a sense that I felt more comfortable in this foreign truck with her in this moment than I ever had before. She's not a big singer, I rarely hear her sing. Probably because she is afraid I'll tease her.

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere_

_I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane_

_Told a story about a man who was too afraid to fly so he never leave land_

_But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?_

_Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day_

_And head back to the Milky Way?_

_And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?_

_Was it everything you wanted to find?_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?_

"What's your favorite song now?"

"Any song that you're singing." She smiled at me and I didn't take my eyes off the road, but let a smile spread across my face.

_Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken?_

_Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong_

_Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance, five-hour phone conversation?_

_The best soy latte that you ever had and me_

_But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?_

_Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day_

_And head back toward the Milky Way?_

_And tell me, did you sail across the sun?_

_Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded_

_And that heaven is overrated?_

_And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star,_

_One without a permanent scar?_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself?_

_Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na_

_And did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day?_

_Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na_

_And did you fall for a shooting star, fall for a shooting star?_

_Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na_

_And now you're lonely looking for yourself out there._

The song faded out and she rested her head against the window.

"Remember the last time we were in the car?" She asked me and I nodded.

"How could I forget? I told you all about my mama and you told me about this summer." She nodded slowly and I grabbed her hand over the middle console, not wanting her to get upset.

"I'm still really sorry that I didn't call or anything."

"Zoe, don't be. It's okay, I understand. Just remember next time that I'm only ever a phone call away, even if we aren't together." I kissed her hand and she smiled a tired smile.

"So what's your first purchase going to be?" I asked as she shut her eyes.

"Hmm maybe my mom was right, maybe we should buy a house." She opened her eyes up again when she brought it up. Her eyes were nervous, but I was elated.

"That would make me the happiest man in the world."

"Really?"

"Of course. We'll start looking when we get back to Bluebell. Do you have any places in mind? Or should we build our dream house?"

"See, I was thinking buying would be easier, but now I'm thinking about all of the things that I want in a house to make it a home and I feel like it would be impossible to find one already built."

"Well what do you want your dream house be like?"

"I want a fireplace in the master bedroom, even though it isn't really cold in Bluebell. And I want big porch with a swing that we can sit on at night and drink. And I want a big window seat where I can curl up with a cat and read a book when it rains."

"Woah there, a cat, really?"

"I love kitties! I was going to get one anyway! Why, do you hate cats?"

"I don't hate cats necessarily, but they just get into everything."

"So do kids and you want kids."

"That's different though." I laughed at her analogy, she was correct though.

"Yeah, I know, but come on, a little fur ball would be so cute! Please Wade!" She gave me puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, we can get a cat, but you're taking care of it!" I warned her and she smiled.

"Well of course. I'm so excited! I love cats!" She was a ball of excitement in the seat next to me and I could only shake my head and laugh. What had I gotten myself in to?


	9. Crazier by Taylor Swift

It was around one in the morning when we checked into a hotel in Lexington, Virginia. We both fell asleep quickly considering how busy our day had been. The alarm woke us both up by 6 and we were on the road by 6:30, only stopping to grab breakfast at a McDonald's.

"What do you want?"

"A number 8 with a coffee please!"

"Never pegged you as a breakfast burrito girl."

"And I never pegged you as someone who would have the entire McDonald's menu memorized." She teased. I pulled through the drive through and we were back on our way. The GPS had us arriving home at 7, just in time for supper at Lavon's.

"You know what I just realized?" She asked me

"What?"

"I have nowhere to store this stuff in Bluebell either until we get a house."

"Yeah, I never really thought about it. Well if you want, we can store it in the gatehouse, and then I could just stay with you, since your place is bigger?" I asked with a questioning tone.

"You'd do that for me Wade?"

"Well we're going to be living together soon anyway. As long as you don't mind."

"Mind? It would be perfect. A fantasy of mine even." She winked at me and I swore under my breath. She always did that to me when there was no place or time to get the job done.

"Do you want me to drive? It's been a few hours and I want to help out."

"Nah, I'm fine. I like driving actually. Especially when I have you to keep me company."

"Not for long," she paused to giggle," I'm tired." She yawned.

"That's fine, you can sleep and I'll work on getting us home." She nodded to me and then nodded off.

To pass the time I was making lists in my head. To-do lists, grocery lists, Rammer Jammer lists, and when I thought I was out of lists, I had an idea. A wedding song list.

My list seemed pretty long when another song came on from Zoe's phone. Of course she had Taylor Swift. I took a moment to look at the album cover and saw that it said The Hannah Montana movie. I rolled my eyes and was about to change the song, but it started to get good. I decided to listen to the rest of it, but if anyone ever asked me, I would swear on my life I didn't.

_I'd never gone with the wind_

_Just let it flow_

_Let it take me where it wants to go_

_'Til you open the door_

_There's so much more_

_I'd never seen it before_

_I was trying to fly_

_But I couldn't find wings_

_But you came along and you changed everything_

Maybe Taylor Swift really did know a thing or two about love because her song pretty much sums up how I feel about Zoe.

_You lift my feet off the ground_

_You spin me around_

_You make me crazier, crazier_

_Feels like I'm falling and I am lost in your eyes_

_You make me crazier, crazier, crazier_

_I've watched from a distance as you made life your own_

_Every sky was your own kind of blue_

_And I wanted to know how that would feel_

_And you made it so real_

_You showed me something that I couldn't see_

_You opened my eyes_

_And you made me believe_

She certainly drives me crazy, but that just makes me love her more.

_You lift my feet off the ground_

_You spin me around_

_You make me crazier, crazier_

_Feels like I'm falling and I am lost in your eyes_

_You make me crazier, crazier, crazier _

_Baby you showed me what living is for_

_I don't wanna hide anymore_

_Oh oh_

_You lift my feet off the ground_

_You spin me around_

_You make me crazier, crazier_

_Feels like I'm fallin' and I am lost in your eyes_

_You make me crazier, crazier, crazier_

_Crazier, crazier._

I would still have to think about putting that song into my wedding rotation, but we'll see. It might be too girly, maybe I could find like a guy cover or something. I suddenly snapped out of it. I had been spending too much time with women lately; Zoe, Lemon, Annabeth. Why was I making a wedding playlist in my head?

She woke up around 2 in the afternoon and we stopped the get a quick snack and use the bathrooms. There wasn't any traffic at all, so we were ahead of schedule actually.

We pulled into Bluebell around 6:15 and we drove into the plantation at 6:25. She went into the main house to find Lavon to help unload this stuff. I went into my house to move some things around to make room for this couch and table. I grabbed my Xbox, games, and a bunch of clothes and dumped them on Zoe's bed before heading back out to move the couch inside. Lavon emerged from the house and I expected Zoe was in with Annabeth.

"So moving into her place, huh? Big step."

"For the time being, of course."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't Zoe tell you? I think we're going to uh, find a house." I felt awkward telling Lavon that we were moving off the property sometime soon.

"Oh, no she didn't tell me." She said quietly.

"Look Lavon, nothing's final yet. We're even thinking about building, so that would definitely take a lot of time. We're not like leaving tomorrow or anything."

"Yeah, no, it's cool. This day had to come sometime soon, huh?"

"Well just think, when your kids re being annoying, you can just put them out in the gatehouse or something." Lavon's head popped up and he smiled.

"That is a good idea!"

"Lavon Hayes, I promise you, if you even think about doing that we are not having any kids!" He cringed when he heard Annabeth approach the two of them. Zoe trailed not far behind.

"Let's go boys. We came to see our men do some work!" She said as she sat on the truck.

"You know you only got one broken arm right?" I called to her and Lavon laughed.

"Hey, don't laugh at that!" She scolded him and he stopped laughing immediately. She grabbed some small things that still littered the truck. She took them inside to her place and it was only a matter of seconds before I heard her scream.

"Dammit Wade!" She yelled, making sure I heard it even though I was outside.

"What?" I asked when she came back outside.

"You just dumped your shit all over my bed!"

"Our bed now baby." I winked at her, which just frustrated her more.

"Annabeth and I are going into town for a little before dinner. We'll be back by seven." She stated, not giving us a second glance.

"Gee thanks for all the help. If you see any well built men…"

"What? Give them my number?" She teased back.

"No, tell them to come over and help get this goddamn couch off the trailer! It's a lot heavier than it looks!"

"Sounds like a deal." She said and headed off into town. I had no idea what they were going to do for a half hour, but I knew better than to ask. I made that mistake once…

"What do you think they're doing?"

"I don't even want to take a guess. Getting themselves into trouble, for sure." Thankfully, Tucker arrived at the plantation a few minutes later, saying he ran into Zoe and Annabeth and they told him that his assistance was needed.

"Yeah Tansy and I were heading to the Rammer Jammer for dinner but they intercepted me and told me to come here and Tansy had to go with them. They're up to something, who knows."

We were almost finished, just unloading some of the small boxes into Zoe's place when they three girls arrived back. All with their hands loaded.

"You've got to be shitting me." I said as I saw what they carried.

"Doc, I thought you meant after the house was built! I didn't think you meant now, right when we got home!"

"What house?" George asked.

"What'd she get?" Lavon whispered as I shook my head and went over to the group.

"I hope it's cute at least." I said and pulled the creature out of the cage. I wanted to hate this kitten, but I don't think it is humanly possible to hate a kitten. The little face on the all gray kitten was just so cute. Her yellow eyes were so big.

"Nah, nah, Big Z tell me you didn't get a cat. AB's been pestering me about getting a pet for forever and now that Wade's folded, I don't have a chance." Lavon whined and AB gave him a look.

"We did, isn't she precious?" I held the cat in my arms and Zoe put her small hands on the kitten's small body.

"She is pretty cute, but where are we going to put her?"

"Uhhh… I was thinking the house…" She answered incredulously.

"Well yeah, but I mean, isn't the house too big for her?"

"Wade, she's a cat, not a baby. She'll be fine." She took the cat from me and went inside with the girls.

"Wow Wade, a cat together, moving in together, what's next? Getting married?" George teased.

"When the time's right, that's the plan, yeah." I answered seriously. Lavon almost choked on his own spit.

"We've talked about it a little and it's what we both want, she's my endgame for sure." I explained.

"I don't think I've ever heard Wade Kinsella say anything that exhibited true feelings for a girl since the third grade. Well I'm happy for you buddy, I really am. Oh, but don't you go proposing to Zoe before I get to Tansy because that will set her off! She'll be a wreck."

"Well Tucker you better hurry up, I don't know how long I can hold off." I said and they chuckled.

The girls came back out and we went over to Lavon's for dinner. Zoe brought the kitten with her because we just got her and you probably shouldn't leave a kitten alone after you adopted it not even an hour ago.

George and Tansy stayed for dinner with us and afterwards Lavon lit a fire in his firepit. I grabbed a few beers and headed out with him while Zoe and the girls brought out things for s'mores. Zoe took the cat back to the carriage house because it was sleeping anyway and she locked her in the bathroom so she can't get into anything quite yet and if she pees not in her litterbox, it will be easy to clean up. She arrived back at the firepit a few minutes later as Lavon was setting up some lawn chairs around it. She claimed her spot on my lap and I held my beer with one hand and my other and was wrapped on her waist. She had a glass of wine in her hands and shivered a bit when the sun went down.

"Cold?" I asked her and she nodded yes, so I moved my chair closer to the fire. The men stuck to beer but the ladies had quite the amount of wine between the three of them. They were tipsy and it was hilarious to watch. They were up dancing just a minute ago, but sat back down when Annabeth almost fell in the fire.

"So Waaaaaaade, when are you going to ask Zoe to marry youuu?" Tansy asked as she sat back in her chair.

"Well if I told you you'd let your loose lips run wild Tans, you forgot, we were married once." I winked at her and she scoffed.

"That didn't count as married, but if it's before I get engaged I will hate the both of you." She warned. Zoe giggled. She leaned into my chest and whispered softly.

"Keep talking about marrying me and we'll have to get back to the carriage house earlier than planned."

"Alright guys, well we've got to go. You know, we're new parents and all, and well to be honest, I was just promised sex, so we're gonna leave." I announced before throwing Zoe over my shoulder. She was laughing hysterically as she waved goodbye from her spot on my shoulder. They laughed and Lavon made a face.

"Gross, get out of here nasties." I grabbed a spare beer for the trip back to the carriage house, even though I was a bit buzzed anyway.

"My pleasure." I answered him and started running faster back to the carriage house.

"Wade!" She shrieked, laughing too hard. I managed to open the door with a beer in my hand and a girl on my shoulder. I carried her inside and threw her down on the bed. I chugged the rest of my beer and returned to her.

She was at my neck within seconds. Her lips sucked on my collarbone and I forced her back up so I could kiss her lips. My tongue delved into her mouth as my hands roamed up the back of her shirt. I broke the kiss to pull her shirt over her head to reveal a bare chest.

"Fuck Zoe," I mummered as I took my lips to her chest. She moaned and I knew my movements had to be fast if I wanted to last because right now, I was already overwhelmed by how sexy she was. Her moaning was what got me.

She pulled the shirt I had on over my head and She forced me down onto the bed.

"It's my turn now." She whispered in my ear and I shuddered. She took her teeth to my earlobe and bit softly because she knew I liked that. She dragged her teeth over the sensitive spot on my ear and then moved down to my neck. She sure knew how to tease me. She sucked on my skin and I knew from the feel of it that she left a hickey. She travelled her way down my chest and finally unzipped my jeans. She pulled them off so I was just in my boxers. She teased me more until I couldn't take it anymore. I flipped her over and pinned her to the bed.

"I nearly ripped off the pair of jeans she had put on when we arrived home and she bit her lip. I didn't have time to take my time and make this memorable. Hell it would be memorable for my anyway, but it wasn't romantic sex. It was sweaty sex. I pulled off her lace underwear and warmed her up. She moved her hands down my body and removed my boxers. I took one look at her naked body and couldn't wait any longer.

"Get over here." I said with a smirk on my face. She shrieked and moved down the bed.

"Can we just stay in bed forever?"

"I wish, but sadly we have to get back to reality in the morning. Especially me, I haven't been at work in almost a week!"

"Well my shoulder hurt, but you know what makes it better?"

"What?"

"Sex." She giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"You can handle that one by yourself because I have to be at work at 8."

"Well maybe I will handle it on my own." She winked at me and I realized what I had said.

"If you're gonna do that, wait until I get home actually." She laughed and threw her head back.

"You're sucha goof." I said and wrapped my arms around her.

Two months later, we were ready to break ground on the house. After many different floor plans and finding a space, we had decided that the vacant lot right next to Lavon's plantation would be great. It was close to Lavon, but gave us our privacy. I was helping on the construction when I wasn't at the Rammer Jammer, but just little things. The contractor had been really great on accommodating our wants and needs. The house was looking to be very pricey, something neither Zoe nor I could afford if she hadn't inherited the money from her mom. We even had a shared account now, which seemed to make things easier like paying bills and grocery shopping. She and I were both in love with the house that we dreamed up, it had the window seats, fireplaces, and best of all, it had 5 bedrooms, to fill with a bunch of kids someday.

We were a bit reluctant to put in a pool since we both knew we wanted to have kids in the future, and that could be a worrisome factor with young kids. But we ultimately decided to go with it and keep it surrounded by a fence even if you're coming from the back door, so there would be no accidents.

Word traveled fast that Zoe and I were living together, let alone building a house together. Bluebell was in a frenzy for the first few weeks, and we soon filled the spot that George and Lemon previously occupied. We were Bluebell's favorite couple. I couldn't say that I hated the attention, but it seemed like everyone was always in our business. That's Bluebell I guess.

I returned from the construction site around 7 and Zoe was waiting with takeout from Fancie's. Penny greeted me at the door by rubbing herself up against my legs.

"Hi cutie," I picked the cat up," Oh hi babe." I said and kissed Zoe.

"I hate that cat." She stated. That had become her favorite saying over the past two months.

"Don't say that! You'll hurt her feelings! Besides you're just jealous that she likes me more." I mockingly covered the cat's ears.

"I have done everything in my nature to be the best mom to that cat and of course she adores you and you don't do anything. I clean the litterbox, I feed her, but no, she loves you." Zoe was a little bitter that the cat showed me more affection than her. I thought it was funny because I wasn't even the one who wanted the cat, but I fell in love with her the moment Zoe brought her home.

"You ready to eat?" I asked as I put the cat down on the couch. She yelled yeah from the small kitchenette. I joined her there and we sat at the small round table.

"How was your day?" She asked while I had a mouth full of food. I waited until I swallowed.

"Same old, same old. Just the Rammer Jammer and then I stopped by the new house to see if they started yet. Sure enough, they're pushing dirt around." She nodded her head.

"What did you do?"

"I treated Lavon for his weird knee issue, and I saw Wanda today for a check up, but nothing much. Kind of a slow day. But there is something I wanted to talk to you about…"

"What's up?"

"Well, the thing is, I was thinking today is when we should maybe do that thing we talked about doing."

We had both been walking on eggshells for two weeks when she told me she was late. We decided to wait it out two weeks just in case, but I haven't heard anything on the subject since then.

"Oh, okay, well that's your department. If I could pee on a stick for you I would."

"Gee thanks." Her tone had a bite to it and seemed icy. She took her plate to the sink, dropped it in and went back to the bedroom. I sat there perplexed.

"What the hell just happened?" I thought outloud to myself. I quickly finished the spaghetti she had gotten me and went back to the bedroom.

"Hey baby, I don't know what happened there, but if I said anything wrong, I'm sorry. Kinda new to this situation, ya know?" I yelled through the bathroom door, which she had locked. I heard her sigh in there and I wondered if she was taking the test now.

"It's fine." She said when she reappeared in the doorway. I sat on the bed and waited for her to inform me.

"So…what's it say?"

"I don't know, we have to wait five minutes. Hold this for me, I'm going to go wash off the dishes."

"No way I'm touching that thing. You peed on it!"

"Well I didn't say touch it there, did I?" She put it down on the dresser and stormed out of the bedroom.

"Hey, listen, I know things are kind of on edge right now, but is something else wrong? You just seem upset?" I followed her out to the kitchen.

"Nothings wrong, I'm just stressed out, with the house, trying to pack things up here, work, it's just like everything's happening at once." She said as she scrubbed her plate.

"Here, let me do that." I took the plate from her and she gave me a small smile and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. She waited with me until I was finished. We went back to the bedroom together and I picked up the test, remembering not to comment on how gross it was this time. She grabbed the box.

"What's one blue line and one pink line mean?" I asked her and she turned the box over.

"Negative."

"So…is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It means we're getting drunk tonight." She took the test out of my hands and put it in the box and threw it in the bathroom trash. Her face was expressionless and she left the room and went to grab her favorite bottle of wine. I wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.


	10. Forever and Always by Parachute

I woke up the next morning at 7 because I had to open at 8. I took a quick shower and was out the door by 7:25, but I jotted down a quick note first.

_Had to leave for work, didn't want to wake you._

_Hope you're okay this morning._

_Come see me at the Rammer Jammer when you wake up_

_Love, Wade_

She showed up around 10 and sat at the bar.

"Morning." I leaned over the counter to kiss her and she met me halfway.

"Good morning."

"So can we talk about last night?" I asked, knowing she wouldn't want to, but I felt like I was walking on eggshells constantly now.

"Can it wait until tonight? I really have to get going to work and practically the whole town is in here." I nodded my head, knowing she was right. At least I wasn't working tonight, so I would be home at 4, an hour before she would be. We carried on a small conversation until her breakfast was ready and then she ate and left for work. The day went by slowly as usual, so I got off early. I stopped at the house first to see how progress was coming. They seemed to be fine there and so I went back to the carriage house. I changed from my work clothes into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, even though it was only 3:30 now. I was exhausted from work and the whole bottle of wine Zoe and I downed last night didn't help. I ventured into Lavon's kitchen and found him on his laptop.

"You're home early."

"Yeah, pretty slow day."

"Why do you look like you're gonna take a nap?"

"Cause I was goin' to, but then I remembered I have to either go get or make dinner tonight, so I was hoping I could make somethin' here and then come get it when it's ready?" Lavon nodded because he wouldn't be going anywhere and would keep an eye on whatever I decided to make. My mind ran through the four dishes I knew how to make and decided on mac n cheese since that would bake for two hours, giving me a nice time to nap before Zoe got home and dinner was ready.

I boiled the noodle and then combined everything together and stuck it in the pre-heated oven. I put the timer on and told Lavon that I would be in to check on it in an hour and a half, but he barely looked up from his computer.

I slowly walked back to the house and I checked to see if Penny had food, which she did, and climbed into bed. Before I fell asleep, I could feel little paws on my chest and soon she plopped down right there and napped with me.

I was awakened by Zoe, who was kneeling down beside the bed and running her one hand through my hair and the other hand was petting the cat.

"Do you feel alright? You never take naps?" She asked and put the back of her hand on my forehead.

"I feel fine, just extra tired I guess." I said as I yawned. I sat up in bed and the cat moved to sit on Zoe's lap, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"See, she does like you."

"Yeah I guess she does." She said quietly. We sat in silence for a few moments.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, uh, last night I guess. You just haven't really been yourself lately, and I understand why, but I just want to know how you're feeling. You haven't really told me anything."

"I can't explain it, I just feel like there's this weight on my shoulders and I don't know what it is. I'm just tired and stressed out, and worried, and there's a lot going on. I was relieved that it wasn't positive, but there's always that small part of you that wishes that it wasn't."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You sure there isn't anything else going on?"

"I promise," She leaned in and kissed me, "But I will be very angry if there isn't any type of food in this house." She giggled.

"Let me go get it." I got out of bed and went over to Lavon's. He wasn't in the kitchen anymore, but I grabbed the mac n cheese and left. I arrived back at the carriage house with it and placed it on the table.

"It smells great and I'm starving." She exclaimed as we sat down together. She seemed more like herself today, probably because she didn't have to worry about being pregnant like she had to these last few weeks. We ate and watched a movie and both headed to bed early because we had a big day tomorrow, Planksgiving.

We both woke up when we heard the front door slam.

"I swear to God if this is anything other than a medical emergency I'm going to kill someone." She huffed as she rolled over. I couldn't help but let out a smile.

"Big Z! Wade! Let's go! It's Planksgiving guys!" He sounded so excited, but I couldn't help but hate him at the moment.

"Lavon Hayes it is 6 in the morning! Go back to bed! Or at least get out of my house!" Zoe yelled, her eyes still closed.

"I don't think so! It is my house, technically. And I signed you two up to help set up the square with me!" He was nearly shouting and Zoe pretend to be snoring under her pillow which she had put over her head.

"Why would you do that? This is a holiday and holidays are meant for resting!"

"Because we only have a limited amount of days where I can do this anymore so I'm making them worth my while. Soon you'll be over in that mansion of yours sleeping until noon!"

"1. It's not a mansion. 2. It's six in the morning! 3. I'm awful at everything, so you shouldn't even have volunteered me." Zoe offered.

"Let's go, get up! Up at at 'em!" Lavon kept yelling. I knew we weren't getting out of this one. I sat up in bed.

"Well do you mind giving us a little privacy? I know you're all about bonding these days, but I don't think seeing my junk is gonna help!" I retorted back and he made a face and left the room. I sighed and got out of bed. I threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and shut the door behind me. I knew she wouldn't be long, but she wouldn't appreciate it if I left it open and she heard Lavon still screaming.

"So what exactly do we have to do?" I asked as I turned the coffee on.

"You and I are on hay duty. We'll be hauling hay all day baby!" Lavon boomed. He didn't have a quiet voice on a regular day, but since it was Planksgiving, it was extra loud.

"And the girls?" I asked, putting my head in my hands.

"Who knows, probably hanging streamers or something." I murmured 'lucky' under my breath so he didn't hear me. I loved Planksgiving just as much as the next guy, but not at six in the morning.

"It's. So. Early." Zoe whined as she dragged her body out of our room.

"Big Z you're always braggin' about how you pulled 36 hour shifts in New York and now you can't even wake up at 6? Bluebell sure has changed you." Lavon scolded as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

We left the house a few minutes later, after we had all had coffee. Tucker was there with Tansy, along with Lemon, Wanda, and Tom. The Rammer Jammer was closed today due to the holiday. Annabeth arrived not too shortly afterwards and so did Peter, who had come into town to surprise Lemon. I followed the guys back to where the big truck was filled with hay while Zoe went to get her assignment from Lemon. That would be interesting, but I knew Zoe could handle her own.

As the morning stretched on, more and more people came out to help. Brick came to help and Shelby "supervised," Reverend Mayfair and his wife came, Meatball was here, along with Cricket and Stanley.

"Hey George Tucker!" Lemon called out and I couldn't help but snicker under my breath. Poor guy. He met her halfway and she seemed to be convincing him to get up on the roof of the gazebo to connect some streamers. He said he would try, so we turned around to watch. He stepped on the ladder and got to the top, but knew the roof wouldn't hold up under his weight. He apologized and climbed back down. I wonder who her next victim was going to be. I prayed it wasn't me, and thankfully, it wasn't. I would probably be too heavy for the roof too.

"Hey Zoe, since you were gone for six months and weren't here to help with the Founder's Day parade, maybe you could help us out and climb up there and do this." Lemon said with the fake sweet voice of hers with the condescending tone.

"Uh, sure, I guess." Zoe said and she took a step back to size up the gazebo. Even though I knew she was reluctant to do it, she was the perfect person for it since she was so tiny. If she wouldn't be able to do it, Wanda would be our last hope.

Lemon held the bottom of the ladder while she climbed it with the streamers in her hands, which I gotta say, seeing my girlfriend climbing a ladder was pretty sexy. She got to the top and slowly put her foot on the roof to test her weight. It held her fine and she moved towards the center. Lemon threw the tape up to her and Zoe connected all of the streamers to the center, coming out in all different directions. She stood up to see her work and nodded in approval. She went to gather the tape and streamers, but lost her footing. It seemed like everything was in slow motion as she tried to regain her footing on the roof. She failed though and her body started to fall backwards. Before anyone could register what was happening, she hit the ground with a loud thud, not even having time to scream.

I didn't move. I don't think I could have moved if I wanted to. Lemon was the first one at Zoe's side and Brick rushed over.

"Don't touch her!" He warned and knelt down beside her. He pulled out his phone and called someone, I could only presume an ambulance. She was just lying there, unconscious, not moving at all. I heard Brick yell for someone to find me, but I knew what had happened. I saw it all happen, but I couldn't move. It was then that I realized Lavon next to me. He had been talking to whole time, but I hadn't heard a word.

"WADE!" Suddenly, my brain started working again and my head whipped towards him.

"What?"

"Did you see what just happened? Man, get over there!" He yelled at me and I blinked a few times before running over there. My brain was making up for lost time and was now in overdrive.

"Wade, good, you're here. She fell from the top of the gazebo. We think she hit her head." Lemon told me as I pushed through the crowd that had formed. I knelt down beside her and watched as Brick continued to shine a small flashlight in her eyes and check her pulse and breathing. I was at a loss of what to do, I recalled hearing Brick say not to touch her, but surely pushing her hair out of her eyes wouldn't be an issue. I softly put my fingers to her face and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

The paramedics arrived shortly and came running from their ambulance.

"Give them some space!" Lavon yelled and everyone backed up a bit, but not much. I stayed on the ground with Brick and Zoe.

"She fell from the gazebo, possible brain and spinal trauma, limited pupillary response, blood evident in the nose, but pulse and breathing are normal." Brick recited. Two paramedics had a long board with them and started unstrapping the Velcro.

"How old is she sir?" The other paramedic turned to me. It was when I went to speak that I realized I had been crying. I hadn't noticed before.

"She's 28."

"Okay, any history of a head injury or spinal injury?"

"Uh, not, not that I know of."

"Any pre-existing medical conditions?"

"No."

"Any allergies to medicines?"

"No."

"Any chance she's pregnant?"

"No."

"Alright, let's get her strapped in first." He ordered the other paramedics. The one who had questioned me put a big brace around her neck before they touched her.

"Alright, slowly on three…" He led and the other paramedics seemed to know what he meant. The two of them slowly rolled her over a bit while the other one slid the board under her. They tried not to move her and quickly strapped her to the board. They put these big foam pieces on either side of her head and strapped that down too. Once she was all strapped down, they wheeled the stretcher over and lowered it.

"One, two, three." The paramedics repeated together as they lifted up the board she was on and put her on the stretcher. Two of them wheeled her to the ambulance while one of them walked back over to me.

"Sir, would you like to ride along? It usually helps, especially if she wakes up in the ambulance. I nodded and followed them to the ambulance, but Brick pulled me aside first.

"Wade, if they ask, you're her husband. If you don't, they won't tell you anything." I nodded to that and hopped in the back of the ambulance.

"We're right behind you Wade!" Lavon yelled. They shut the back door and soon it was just Zoe, a paramedic, and I in the back. He was taking her blood pressure and her other vitals while we drove to the hospital. I grabbed her hand through all of the Velcro that kept her strapped down.

About ten minutes into the ride, her eyes rolled open, but she didn't say anything. She didn't look panicked, or worried. I wasn't even sure if she knew where or who she was, but it was obvious that she didn't know what was going on. She didn't say anything, and her eyes drifted closed again, despite the efforts by the paramedic to keep her awake.

"Okay, you can come with us for the time being, sir." One of them told me when we arrived at the hospital. They wheeled her bed into a room, but kept her on the backboard for the time being. A doctor followed them in and one of the paramedics gave her all of the information.

The doctor gave me a sympathetic smile and then checked Zoe over.

"Alright, I'll order a CT scan and MRI, but keep her on the board for now in case there is a spinal or neck injury." The doctor ordered and left the room. A nurse came in a few minutes later and wheeled her down to get those tests done. I left the room and checked my phone to see the time. It was almost noon already and was nearly an hour since the accident happened. I sat outside the room and heard the radio playing from the nurse's station.

_She's sitting at the table, the hours get later_

_He was supposed to be here_

_She's sure he would have called_

_She waits a little longer, there's no one in the driveway_

_No one's said they've seen him_

_Why, is something wrong?_

_She looks back to the window_

_Suddenly the phone rings_

_A voice says something's happened_

_That she should come right now_

_Her mind goes to December_

_She thinks of when he asked her_

_He bent down on his knees first_

_And he said_

_I want you forever, forever and always_

_Through the good and the bad and the ugly_

_We'll grow old together_

_Forever and always_

_She pulls up to the entrance_

_She walks right to the front desk_

_They lead her down a million halls, a maze that's never ending_

_They talk about what happened but she can barely hear them_

_She tries to keep a straight face as she walks into the room_

_She sits by his bedside, holds his hand too tight_

_They talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life_

_The house on the hillside, where they would stay_

_Stay there forever, forever and always_

_Through the good and the bad and the ugly_

_We'll grow old together, and always remember_

_Whether rich or for poor or for better_

_We'll still love each other, forever and always_

_Then she gets an idea and calls in the nurses_

_Brings up the chaplain and he says a couple verses_

_She borrows some rings from the couple next door_

_Everybody's laughing as the tears fall on the floor_

_She looks into his eyes, and she says_

_I want you forever, forever and always_

_Through the good and the bad and the ugly_

_We'll grow old together, and always remember_

_Whether happy or sad or whatever_

_We'll still love each other, forever and always_

_Forever and always, forever and always_

_She finishes the vows but the beeps are getting too slow_

_His voice is almost too low_

_As he says, I love you forever, forever and always_

_Please just remember even if I'm not there_

_I'll always love you, forever and always_

I thought that it was a pretty sad song to be playing at a hospital. Aren't hospital songs supposed to be happy? This one just made me even more worried.

Trying to distract myself, I figured Lavon was here and went to check the waiting room. I was surprised when I saw most of Bluebell there.

"Wade! Did you hear anything?" Lavon asked when he spotted me coming around the corner.

"Not yet," I put my hand on the back of my neck, "But they're taking her down to have an MRI and CT scan right now." Everyone in the waiting room quieted down to hear me talk.

"Is she still unconscious?"

"Yeah, still unconscious, but she opened her eyes in the ambulance. She didn't say anything though."

"Oh. Listen, if you want me to clear them all out of here, I can." He offered, but I shook my head.

"No, it's sweet. Unless the nurses have a problem with it, they're fine." I answered and thanked him for being here before heading back to her room. I stopped at the receptionist's desk first though.

"Sorry about all of them, if they're being bothersome just let me know and I'll kick them out."

"Oh no, they're great actually! And they brought all of this food to share!" The receptionist laughed at the spread that they had set up in the waiting room, inviting nurses, doctors, receptionists, even patients to join them. I went back to see that Zoe's room was still empty.

They wheeled her back in a few minutes later and told me the doctor would be in shortly.

"Here, I hope you don't mind they let me back here, I just thought you might want something to eat?" Lavon offered as he showed me a cafeteria sandwich and a water bottle. I smiled at him and he went to leave.

"You can stay if you want." I told him and he smiled. He took the seat next to me and we sat beside her bed. We were silent until the doctor came in.

"Hi, I don't think we had a chance to meet earlier, I'm Dr. Bradshaw." She extended her hand. I grabbed it and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Wade, and this is Lavon." Lavon stood up to shake her hand.

"So before I can release any information, I need to know your relation to the patient?" She looked up at me quizzically and I gave Lavon a quick glance.

"I'm her husband." I said confidently. Lavon nodded, as if confirming.

"Alright, and you're fine if he's in the room?" I nodded when she gestured towards Lavon.

"Okay, when she hit the ground she seems to have suffered a pretty massive blow to the back of the head. Her brain has swelled a bit, so we are going to give her a heavy sedative to put her in what we call a medically induced coma. This will just give her brain time to recuperate without distractions and let the swelling go down. Luckily, there seems to be no spinal damage, just some bad whiplash. So when the swelling in her brain goes down and she is taken off the sedative, she will be pretty sore. When she wakes up, we will be better equipped to figure out the extent of her head injury. We checked for a brain bleed and the CT showed up negative, so that's a good thing. But it does seem that she may have a hairline fracture in her skull, but we will run all of these tests again when she wakes up, which may stretch anywhere from a few hours to a few days." I thanked the doctor and she left, a nurse came in after her to unstrap Zoe from the backboard and put her in a hospital gown. They kept the neck brace on her though, just to be safe. Lavon updated everyone in the waiting room and told them all to go home and promised that he would keep them updated. Everyone was gathering their things when Lemon pulled me aside.

"Wade, if she wakes up, tell her how sorry I am. I wasn't the nicest person earlier and then asking her to climb the gazebo was a bad idea. I never meant for her to fall or anything!" Lemon truly felt bad, and a part of my heart felt bad for her.

"Lemon, it's okay. It was an accident and accidents happen. Don't blame yourself, alright? Now head home, you're opening the Rammer Jammer for me tomorrow." She nodded and left. I made my way back to Zoe's room where they had set up a small cot for me to sleep in for the night.


	11. Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw

I didn't sleep much because the nurses were in and out of the room all night, checking her vitals and such. I finally got out of the cot around 9 and went down the hall to get a cup of coffee. To my surprise, I passed Lemon in the waiting room.

"Lemon? What are you doing here?" She looked up at me, startled.

"Oh, Wade, I just felt so bad for what I said to you about Zoe when she came back and for not being so nice that I couldn't sleep. I got here at 6. I didn't want you to know I was here though, I thought you would be mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"This is all my fault. I feel awful. I should've treated her better and accepted that she was back in town. The only reason I was so hostile was because I thought that she hurt you, but I realized that she was just as hurt as you were. I just wanted you to be happy again, which you are, but I don't know why I couldn't just be happy for you. I'm so sorry." Lemon blurted out as fast as she could. She was in a frenzy practically.

"Lemon, slow down. It's going to be okay, Zoe's going to be fine. The doctors are saying you have to stay positive, if not for you, then for her. She only needs to hear positive things right now. So why don't you calm down a little and then go talk to her? They told me that she may be able to hear what's going on around her." She just nodded and wiped her eyes. I took her with me to grab a coffee and we returned to Zoe's room.

"Hey baby, it's me. Lemon's here with me too. She feels awful about what happened and she's been here for a while."

"Hey Zoe, I know I'm probably the last person that you want to hear from right now, but I just wanted to let you know that all of Bluebell is waiting for you to wake up and come home. We're all really excited to see you awake and bossin' people around again." She took a seat in one of the chairs and looked kind of awkward.

"You should have seen them last night Doc, nearly the whole town was in the waiting room waitin' for news about you. They brought all their Planksgiving fixin's and was sharing them with everyone in the hospital. You would've gotten a kick out of it." Wade laughed at the memory.

"I heard the doctors say earlier that you're doing a lot better today, more responsive. That's great. I'm glad I have good news to report back to the people of Bluebell. Dash will have it all over his blog," She turned and looked at me, "Do you just talk to her all day?"

"Try to. I'm working on some new material though, I never was much of a talker, so this is new for me." I responded.

"You should see him right now Zoe, he's practically jumping up and down waiting for you to wake up he's that excited. I think you're doing the right thing torturing him a little longer. God knows he could use it." She let out a small laugh and I was glad to see that she was trying to be positive. We sat in silence for a little until she turned to me.

"So how's the house coming?"

"Slowly but surely. They say it should be done in the next month and then furnishing and everything will probably take another month. I'm hoping to be in by Valentine's Day."

"Planning big things already?"

"Valentine's Day is too cliché. What you're referring to definitely will not be happening on that day. I'm not that guy."

"I think that's what she loves about you, that you're not that guy. She doesn't love that guy. She loves you, and whenever you do propose it's going to be great and perfect and you two will live happily ever after. I have a feeling about it."

"How's Peter?"

"Good, I left him at my place, though."

"Lemon, you should go home to him. He's only in town for a few days and you should spend time with him. Trust me, Zoe Hart isn't going anywhere right now. And she isn't one to hold a grudge. She knows how you feel now. Go home. I'll call you if anything changes." She still looked hesitant.

"Okay, but promise you'll call," She stood up and hugged me. She walked out of the room, but peaked her head around the side of the door.

"Oh, and Wade? Don't stress too much over proposing. She may seem high maintenance, but all a girl really wants is a man on his knee."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks Lemon." I smiled and waved before she left. This accident really had me thinking about proposing. It felt like I had her one moment and the next she had slipped from my grasp. I knew then that I couldn't live without her, and that faint second when I wasn't sure if she was still alive even was the worst moment of my life. I wanted her to be mine, sooner rather than later. I don't know how much longer I can wait. I've had the ring for months now, Earl gave it to me Christmas Eve before Zoe even asked me to consider being her boyfriend.

I grabbed her hand, which had an IV stuck in it.

"Well Doc, it looks like it's just me and you now." I felt like I was out of things to say though. I had told her all of the stories I could think of. I grabbed the newspaper, which was resting on the side table. I read to her all of happy stories, and left out the depressing ones like car accidents and riots overseas.

"I think you should be proud. I don't think I've ever talked this much for anyone. And I wouldn't for just anyone. But you Zoe Hart, you are special. I wasn't lying when I told Lemon that I can't wait to propose to you and have you finally, officially mine. I know we've skirted around the idea, but I'm done beating around the bush. I'm going to tell you what I want from now on, starting with marrying you. And I want to have little doctors running around our dream house some day. To be honest, I wasn't scared when you told me that you might be pregnant. I was nervous for sure that I wouldn't be a good parents, but never for a second was I scared to have a kid with you. That's what I want Doc. I can't wait for the day that we get married and I see you in a big dress. You'll look beautiful, I know it. Harley would have been insanely proud of you too. I know Brick is, and Lavon, but most importantly, me. I think you have accomplished so much in your short time here. I me, hell, you got the town playboy to settle down and commit. You are the best part of my life, so you better wake up soon so I can make sure you heard all of this because you deserve to hear how much I love you as much as you want." I ended my monologue and squeezed her hand, waiting for a response. I never got one.

Around lunchtime, her doctor came in the room.

"Hello Wade, how are you today?"

"I'll be better when she wakes up. Any kind of guess when that may be?"

"It's tough to say, but we did lower her sedative because the swelling did come down overnight. Now we're just waiting on her."

"I know you said talking really helps, but is there anything else I could do?" She thought for a moment.

"Well, there have been studies that show that patients with head injuries improved with music, like their favorite songs and things like. So that might be a good idea, like on an iPod or something. Hearing a few different voices helps too, often." She explained as she checked Zoe over. I nodded, taking it all in.

"If it's not too much of a distraction to the other patients, I usually play my guitar for her and sing, and she really loves that. Do you think that would help?"

"I think that would be great, everything helps, you know?" She approved my suggestion and I texted Lavon to bring in my guitar when he came in in a few hours. I sat in with Zoe until Lavon arrived with AB and my guitar.

"How's she doing today?" Lavon asked as he pulled the extra chair out for AB to sit on.

"They're saying better than yesterday, which is good. You guys want to talk to her for a bit while I go grab a coffee or something?" I asked and they nodded of course. I returned a few minutes later but stopped short of the door when I heard Lavon talking about me.

"You sure know how to drive Wade crazy Big Z. The poor guy is going nuts in here, you have to wake up soon. You remember that talk that we had the other day, about you and Wade in the long run? You remember how you said that you can't wait for him to just ask you already? Well you've got to wake up for him to ask." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, and if you asked me, this whole thing has certainly got him thinkin'. He's ready to ask you, gah I'm so excited! I love weddings, I just wish I would have one." I could only guess that Annabeth was glaring at Lavon. I snickered and he knew he was put in a bad position.

"Hey, I'm waiting for the right moment, alright?" Lavon stumbled over his words and I figured I should go and save him. I walked in through the door and asked them how it went. They both nodded that it was fine. I picked up my guitar and couldn't help but notice how small she looked in the hospital bed.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna play for her. The doctor said that might help.

"Go for it." Lavon responded.

"I love hearing you sing Wade." Annabeth added before sitting back in her seat. I took the seat next to her and started strumming my guitar slowly. I kept the doctor's words about being positive in my mind and decided on a happier song.

_Oh, this is the start of something good_

_Don't you agree?_

_I haven't felt like this in so many moons_

_You know what I mean?_

_And we can build through this destruction_

_As we are standing on our feet_

The tempo picked up and my hands were strumming faster.

_So, since you want to be with me_

_You'll have to follow through_

_With every word you say_

_And I, all I really want is you_

_You to stick around_

_I'll see you everyday_

_But you have to follow through_

_You have to follow through_

I could feel the smile plastered on my face, but was unsure why. The love of my life was in a coma in the hospital and I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't help it, I had a good feeling that she would be fine. Just looking at her made me smile.

_These reeling emotions they just keep me alive_

_They keep me in tune_

_Oh, look what I'm holding here in my fire_

_This is for you_

_Am I too obvious to preach it?_

_You're so hypnotic on my heart_

_So, since you want to be with me_

_You'll have to follow through _

_With every word you say_

_And I, all I really want is you_

_You to stick around _

_I'll see you everyday_

_But you have to follow through_

_You have to follow through_

I was singing a bit louder now, even though I knew I probably shouldn't be. I had some of the nurses gather around the door to watch, and I didn't mind having an audience.

_The words you say to me are unlike anything_

_That's ever been said_

_And what you do to me is unlike anything _

_That's ever been_

_Am I too obvious to preach it?_

_You're so hypnotic on my heart_

_So, since you want to be with me_

_You'll have to follow through_

_With every word you say_

_And I, all I really want is you_

_(For) you to stick around_

_I'll see you everyday_

_But you'll have to follow through_

_With every word you say_

_An I, all I really want is you (For) you to stick around_

_I'll see everyday_

_But you have to follow through_

_You have to follow through_

_You're gonna have to follow_

_Oh, this is the start of something good_

_Don't you agree?_

I ended the song quieter than before and when I finished I blushed because people started clapping.

"She sure is lucky girl." One of the older nurses said as she came in with her clipboard.

"I'm not so sure about that one, it's more the other way around. I think I'm the lucky one." I said quietly. She checked Zoe's vitals and then left. We talked for a while before dinnertime approached.

"AB, do you want us to grab you something while we're done there?" I asked as I stood with Lavon to go to the cafeteria.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll be fine with whatever, Lavon knows what I like."

"Lavon Hayes wished he knew what you liked." Lavon muttered under his breath so only I could hear him. I smiled and left Annabeth with Zoe.

"So how you really holding up? I know with the whole only positive things in there, but for real, how are you?"

"I'm scared, for one. They said they won't know the extent of her head injury until she wakes up. She could be brain dead, for all they know. I just want her to wake up and be okay so I can be okay again, and we can go back to the way things were before."

"Yeah, well she'll make it through, she always does somehow." He gave me a small smile, which I appreciated. We finally made it into the cafeteria.

"I just hate seeing her like this, it kills me. I was going to ask her to marry me on Planksgiving. I just thought that was the perfect time because we both love it, but it's not a sappy holiday and she wouldn't be expecting it. Planksgiving is special to Bluebell and I just thought it would be special for her, but now, here we are. This was definitely not how I planned this week going when it started. I thought we'd be engaged and happy, not unconscious in a coma." I confessed to him. Lavon had always been a good listener, so it wasn't hard.

"Do you have the ring with you?" I nodded and pulled it out of my pocket. I opened up the small box and showed him.

"Wow, Wade, is that your mom's?"

"Yeah, it is. I wasn't sure if she would want it though, ya know, cause it's kinda old and stuff."

"Wade, I think she will love any kind of ring she gets. She's getting anxious, ya know?"

"I just wanted it to be perfect, and now I have to think of another plan when she gets better."

"It'll all work out, I'm sure of it." He patted me on the back while we picked out sandwiches.

"I'm just worried, what if she never-" I started, stopped when everyone's head turned to see what the commotion was that was happening at the door.

"She's awake!" Annabeth yelled across the cafeteria. I dropped my sandwich and left Lavon at his spot. I ran out the door, dodging people along the way. I sprinted to her room and saw that the door was shut. I didn't bother peaking in, I barged in.

"Zoe." I managed to breathe out when I entered. Her eyes were on me, not surprising after the entrance I just made. I couldn't say anything else, but I made my way to her. I was crying now and I think she was too. I wasn't focused on that though, my goal was just to make it to her. I gently wrapped my arms around her, careful not to hurt her. Lavon and Annabeth trailed in after, and the nurse that was in the room was watching us, too.

"Wade, what happened?" She asked as I held her.

"You had an accident, you fell off the gazebo and hit your head pretty hard. Do you remember any of that?" She slowly shook her head no. I looked to the nurse who sympathetically smiled.

"That's not unusual for head trauma patients to not remember their accidents. What is the last thing you remember Dr. Hart?"

"Um, I don't know." She was panicking, trying to remember.

"That's okay, we're going to take you down to get some more tests done, alright?" She nodded and looked to me. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to help her.

They wheeled her out of the room. It was just Annabeth, Lavon, and me again.

"Wade, I'm sure it will just take some time, she just woke up from a coma, ya know?" Annabeth reassured.

"Yeah, just give her a few hours." Lavon added. I sat down in the chair and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. What if she never remembers? Well she knew me, so I guess that's a good thing. They told us to wait in the waiting room while they assessed her, but were only there for about 30 minutes when they came out to get us.

"Alright, so it looks like the brain swelling didn't have any permanent repercussions, but she does have a severe concussion. We're going to keep her overnight, just for observation. She seems to remember most of the events leading up to the accident, but things are still a bit fuzzy. She's in a lot of pain so we gave her some painkillers, but she's still awake. So you guys are free to go in and see her." Dr. Bradshaw told us and we went straight to her room.

"Hey, how ya feelin'?" I asked her softly and she slowly moved her head to look at us.

"I've been better, but alright considering. I just feel like I was hit by a train. What happened? How long was I out for?"

"You've only been out for a little more than 24 hours. They had you under pretty heavy sedation because your brain was swollen. Well Lavon signed us up to set up for Planksgiving and Lemon recruited you to attach the streamers to the top of the gazebo. You got up there, did a great job and you were about to come down, but you lost your footing and fell straight off the gazebo and hit your head. Brick was there when it happened and called an ambulance and that's pretty much the last of the excitement." I explained to her.

"Oh, okay." She took in all of the information and nodded.

"Well when can I go home?"

"They said probably tomorrow. But you're going to be really sore tomorrow." Annabeth added.

"Thanks for coming you guys, you didn't have to do that."

"Oh my gosh, you should have seen the waiting room. Nearly the whole town was there! They brought their food and everything."

"Damn, I can't believe I missed Planksgiving!" She said, a bit upset.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I jokingly rolled my eyes, but Lavon knew what I meant.

"Hey, Wade, get over there, we need a nice recovery photo for the town to see, ya know, so they know you're okay."

"Well should I take my shirt off, or…" I joked and Lavon got a look on his face.

"Man, just get in the picture." He waved me over. I leaned down next to her and Lavon counted down.

"Alright, 3, 2, 1." On 1, I leaned in and kissed her. She started to laugh and Lavon was upset that his picture was ruined.

"Now we're gonna have to take another one. Of course, you're awake a total of an hour and already causin' trouble." Lavon said while fooling around on his phone.

"Actually, the photo is pretty cute. It's all lovey." Lavon gushed. He was a closet romantic.

"Well any picture with me in it is pretty cute." She quipped back. Her comebacks have greatly improved since she moved here. Lavon obviously rolled his eyes and it felt nice to have Zoe back. We had a conversation for a few more minutes before her eyes started getting heavy.

"Hey you, why don't you rest? I'll be here when you wake up." I told her.

"As much as I'd love that, you stink. Go home babe, eat an actual meal. Shower." She ordered.

"I don't want to leave you here though."

"Well guess what, you're gonna go. You can come back in the morning. I'll be sleeping anyway." She explained. I reluctantly gave in because she was right, I was in desperate need of a shower.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you and I'm really glad you're okay."

"I love you too." I kissed her head and gathered the things I had with me, including my guitar. I closed her door after turning out the lights. We were on our way out, Lavon, Annabeth, and I, when all of our phones vibrated.

"Oh, she's going to hate you." I laughed as I saw what it was.

"I didn't think he would send it out as an alert!" Lavon defended when he saw the picture he had taken earlier on his phone from Dash. I just shook my head, he had so much to learn about women.


	12. Marry Me by Train

"Take it easy, don't rush it." I told her as she climbed out of my car. Zoe had been released around 4, and now we were home. She rolled her eyes.

"Wade, I've got a concussion, not a disability." She slowly climbed the stairs to the house, but stopped on the third step and startled wobbling. I put my arms around her to steady her.

"See?"

"Sorry, I jut got a bit dizzy." She said and I helped her climb the rest of the stairs.

"Let's get you to bed." I told her and led her to the bedroom. I had set everything up so she would be comfortable. She settled in with her back resting on the headboard.

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"

"Wade, I'm fine, I promise." She smirked.

"I just want you to be comfortable and help you out as much as I can. I just don't want you to overexert yourself or anything."

"Babe, look at me," she put her finger on my chin, "I'm okay. I'm better than okay actually, I'm perfect, here with you." She told me. I wouldn't take looking in her eyes for granted anymore because for those 24 hours when I didn't see them scared me too much.

"You know you really scared us." I patted her leg.

"Sorry, next time I'll make sure to do it better." She joked. Even with a severe concussion she didn't lose her sense of humor.

"You better not. But you were just lying there, motionless. It was almost like you were dead."

"But I'm not. I'm very much alive. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Don't even say that. Now you should get to bed. I'll wake you up in like 2 hours after I make dinner or something, alright?" She nodded and I kissed her forehead. I turned out the lights and shut the door behind me. I quietly shut the front door and went over to Lavon's to see what I could make for dinner.

"Hey Lavon, you got anything I can-" I stopped short when I saw that his kitchen was filled with people and food. All eyes were on me.

"Uhh, what's going on?" I nervously shut the door behind me.

"They all brought something for you and Zoe, and decided to stay." Lavon looked at me with pleading eyes, but I didn't know how to get rid of them either.

"Oh, wow, uh, thanks, this helps solve the dinner issue then. All she was talking about the ride home was how she wanted a home cooked meal." I smiled nervously at them. I hadn't expected to be bombarded by so many people only minutes after coming home.

"How is she?" Shula asked me.

"She's good, tired, sore. She's actually resting now, that's why I left the house…"

"Well when can we expect to see her?" Dash asked over the crowd.

"Um, I don't know what her visiting hours are specifically, but I'd give it a few days so she can get some strength back. But since everyone's here, I actually had an idea and I know it's a lot to ask, but Zoe was pretty bummed that she missed Planksgiving, so I was hoping maybe we could recreate it, ya know? Like the music, the food, the festival, all of it?" Everyone seemed to love this, and promised to keep it a secret form Zoe. We planned it for Saturday, a little under a week. I grabbed a casserole and left Lavon to the company of much of the town.

"Hey baby, I have a casserole if you want to eat?" I whispered to her. Her eyes drifted open slowly.

"Wade Kinsella with a casserole? What has happened to the world?"

"Well practically the whole town is in Lavon's kitchen with about 900 different casseroles, so you're gonna get tired of them pretty quick. They were all asking about you."

"Oh god, I can not handle that right now." She said and rubbed the side of her head, sitting up.

"I know, that's why I told them to wait a while until they visit." She nodded and slowly stood up and I followed her to her kitchen. We ate the chicken casserole and had a lot of leftovers. Lavon was gonna be eating good this week.

"So how's the head?"

"It hurts, but it's not unbearable. My neck is still sore too."

"Well you can have more of those painkillers in like an hour, so that should help and put you right to sleep."

"I hope so, I'm exhausted." She said and rested her head in her hands.

"You don't have to finish if you're tired babe." I told her as I finished my last bite of casserole. She nodded and got up to take her plate to the sink.

"I got it, you go back to bed." I took her plate from her hands and motioned back to the bedroom. She smiled and went back to the bedroom. I heard the shower start and smiled. She had been complaining about feeling gross all day. I washed our plates and then turned the TV on. I watched a few episodes of The Office and then realized that I too was tired. I slowly cracked open the door of the bedroom and saw her sleeping right in the middle of the bed. I hated to wake her quite yet, so I just took the blanket off the back of the couch and drifted off to sleep.

I was woken up by my alarm two hours later because I had to wake her up and make sure that she was alert and everything. She wasn't a fan of this, but that's what you're supposed to do with a concussed patient. I slowly made my way into the dark room and stubbed my toe on the bedframe.

"Dammit." I quietly cursed and grabbed my toe.

"Yes I'm alive and yes I want to go back to sleep." She murmured and I took that as my cue to go back out to the living room. I crawled under the blanket and fell back asleep quickly.

"Zoe, you still alive in there." I asked when the next alarm went off. She just grunted.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"They tell me I need rest and then they make you wake me up every two hours. How am I supposed to get any rest?" She grumbled and I laughed.

"Think about what it's gonna be like with a baby?" I asked her and she just moaned.

"Nope, we're not having any kids. Sorry." She said and flipped over. I smirked and shut the door behind me. I wouldn't have to wake her up again, so I was glad to snuggle into my blanket on the couch for the night.

The next week was more of the same, with Zoe slowly improving. Her head was usually fine during the day, it just hurt when she went to lie down at night. I had been given access to the bed again, which made me happy. Her neck didn't hurt anymore, and she was even considering going to work on Monday. I was nervous that someone would spill the beans about Saturday, but here we were, Saturday morning, and she had no idea. AB had taken Zoe in the early morning to Mobile to do some shopping so we could set up. This time, there were no streamers coming from the gazebo, though. We used the same hay and pumpkins form last week because no one really got to celebrate. We had the stage set up and a local band was performing and Tucker might hop up there, who knows? Thee was a pie eating contest taking place in the gazebo in two hours, and the feast would start at 4. Everyone had contributed, bringing main dishes, appetizers, dessert, and drinks. All we were waiting on now was Zoe. I saw AB's car pull up and Zoe got out and looked around. Her eyes landed on me and she walked over.

"Did you have something to do with this?"

"Maybe." I shrugged and smiled.

"You are the best guy I could ever ask for." She said as she kissed me. We broke apart and she went to greet everyone else. They were just as excited to see Zoe as I was. They haven't seen her much since the accident unless they came over, but I think everyone wanted to give her her space.

"This is nuts, you guys did all of this for me?" She asked as she looked around. Everyone in town told her how glad they were that she was okay and right before we sat down to eat, she pulled me aside.

"Thank you, so much, for all of this. I really needed this. I finally feel like I'm actually a Bluebellian."

"You are now, crazy as the rest of us." She smiled and laughed, knowing it was true.

"Come on, let's eat." I led her to the very long table that had been set up, with Lemon heading it.

"If I could have everyone's attention before we start, that would be great," she started and waited for everyone to settle down.

"I would just like to thank everyone for their efforts in making today happen. I know how hard all of you worked, especially you Wade. So thank you all for allowing us to have a proper Planksgiving. To Bluebell." She raised her glass and toasted.

"That was strangely nice of her." Zoe whispered to me. I nodded before continuing.

"Well, she came to visit you twice at the hospital. She felt awful Zo, like she was to blame. She stayed all night at the hospital. She really was worried about you."

"Really? That's hard to imagine." She remarked and I couldn't blame her. Lemon hadn't been the most welcoming person to her. We started dinner as the band played behind us.

"Hey, I'll be right back, okay?" I said as I stood up from my chair. She nodded and returned to her conversation with Lavon. I walked behind the stage that we had set up and grabbed my guitar, which I had put there earlier.

"Alright guys, we're going to take a quick break, but we do have some other entertainment for you, someone who I was told that you guys are pretty familiar with." The band's lead singer said, and I knew that was my cue. I took a deep breathe and felt my pocket for what seemed like the thousandths time that day. George met me backstage with his guitar.

"Ready? It's now or never."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better about this." I told him sarcastically.

"You'll be fine dude, you know she's going to say yes."

"Yeah, but I'm asking in front of the whole town."

"It's okay Wade. It'll be fine, now let's go." Tucker led his way out with two chairs and I had one in my arm. He set one of them up near the back of the stage, almost invisible to the public sight. I could tell that a few people were watching, but the only person I cared about was busy chatting away. I set up the two other chairs close, facing each other. George took his seat in the back and looked at me to start.

"Uhh, if I could have everyone's attention. I have something I'd like to say to someone. And it would be a lot easier if she was up here." I said into the microphone. Eveyone was looking at me now and Zoe was blushing, but her eyes stayed fixed on mine.

"Well come on!' I urged and she got up form her seat and came up on the stage.

"What're you doing?" She whispered so no one else could hear her.

"You'll see." I remarked and sat her down in the seat across from me. I took a deep breathe and looked in her eyes before looking down at my guitar. George had his in his hands, ready for me to start.

_Forever can never be long enough for me_

_To feel like I've had long enough with you_

_Forget the world now, we won't let them see_

_But there's one thing left to do_

By the time I finished the first verse, she knew what was happening. There were tears in her eyes already.

_Now that the weight has lifted_

_Love has surely shifted my way_

_Marry me_

_Today and every day_

_Marry me_

_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

My eyes stayed fixated on her. Her beautiful face, her lips, her eyes, just like the night she came back to town. Her eyes didn't dare move either.

_Together can never be close enough for me_

_To feel like I am close enough to you_

_You wear white and I'll wear out the words "I love you"_

_And you're beautiful_

The tears were coming down her face now, but there was a huge smile on her face. That calmed my nerves a bit.

_Now that the wait is over_

_And love has finally shown her my way_

_Marry me_

_Today and every day_

_Marry me_

_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

I put my guitar down, but Tucker kept singing and playing his guitar. I reached in to my pocket and pulled out the box. I got down on one knee.

_Promise me_

_You'll always be_

_Happy by my side_

_I promise to_

_Sing to you_

_When all the music dies_

"Zoe Hart since the day you came struttin' into town I've been head over heels in love with you. Even though you drive me up a wall most of the time, I'm happier than I've ever been and ever will be. Now, I can't give you a boathouse wedding like you've always dreamed of, but maybe we can have one even better. Marry me Doc, in front of all our friends and family, and make me the luckiest guy in the world."

_And marry me_

_Today and everyday_

_Marry me_

_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

_Say you will_

_Mm-hmm_

"Of course I will! Yes!" She said through her tears as she tried to calm herself down. I broke out in a smile and took the ring out of the box. I shoved the box back in my pocket and slid the ring on her small hand. She had a huge grin on her face.

_Marry me_

_Mm-hmm_

She sprung up from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. She was still crying, but they were happy tears. She leaned up and kissed me passionately, for everyone to see. It took me a while to realize, but the whole town was clapping. I was a bit embarrassed, but I didn't care, all I waned to do was kiss my fiancée.

"Wade, I can't believe this! Is this why you put all of this together?" She asked when we finally tore apart.

"Well no, I put it together after plan A was ruined." I chuckled and she beamed. The smile hadn't left her face.

"God, it's beautiful. Was it your mom's?" She looked down at the ring and ten back up at me.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." She said and grabbed my face again and pulled me into a kiss.

"God you're amazing." I said as we tore apart. We both became aware that the entire town was still watching us, so we left the stage and when we were out of everyone's sight, she pulled me into another kiss.

"I love you so much! I can't believe this! We're getting married!" She exclaimed.

"I know, I can't wait. But we should probably get you home, this has been enough excitement for one day. You're still recovering remember?" I reminded her and her whole demeanor changed.

"Maybe we should get home for another reason." She winked and yanked at my shirt.

"I like the sound of that." I bit my lip and we headed back to the table to grab Zoe's purse and say goodbye to everyone.

"Zoe! I can't believe it! This is amazing! I can't wait to start planning the wedding!" Annabeth came running up to us. Her and Zoe jumped around a bit before continuing back to the table. After a round of congratulations from everyone, we were finally on our way home. I led her inside and she went into the bedroom and shut the door. Maybe I had read her comment wrong when she said "Go back for another reason." I sighed and sat on the couch, still immensely happy, even if she was in bed, alone. I turned the TV on a settled on some random show. I heard the door crack open.

"Well, are we going to consummate this engagement or what?" She asked seductively and I could practically feel my mouth water.

"Oh hell yes." I said and jumped over the back of the couch. I found her lying on the bed with a bunch of candles lit, wearing lingerie.

"Why didn't I do this sooner?" I asked myself out loud and she laughed. I practically jumped on top of her on the bed.


	13. Should've Said No by Taylor Swift

"Construction on the house has completely shut down cause of this snowstorm. They say they won't know when they can start up again until after the storm and they access how long it will take to clear the snow. They're weatherproofing the outside now before the storm hits though." I said into the phone at the Rammer Jammer.

"Well do they know how long that will push back the finish date?" She spoke back to me from the practice.

"Nope, they aren't sure, but they're calling for 12-18 inches, starting tonight around 6, so try and get home before it starts alright?" I instructed her on the phone. We would be staying at Lavon's for the storm because neither of our places had central heating, and it would be easier if we lost power because he had a generator.

"Alright Dad." She said sarcastically.

"I thought we didn't use that out of the bedroom." I said laughing.

"You're gross! Get back to work." She ordered and I told her I loved her and hung up the phone. I smiled; hoping some of this snow would stick around for Christmas in a week. That would be picturesque. I had gotten her a pair of fancy earrings from Mobile and a few other smaller things. We were trying to save money for the wedding, even though she had the inheritance from her mom, the house was expensive and we still wanted to have at least half saved in the bank, earning interest.

The wedding was going to be in late April, right before it got too hot because it was going to be outside. We were still deciding the location and final date, we couldn't decide if we wanted it in the town square, on the plantation, or down by the lake. Everyone from town was invited, so we want a place outside that won't get too hot with all of those people in. After the new year, we were going to dive into planning, getting down to the food, the flowers, and all of the other little things.

We were closing the Rammer Jammer early because of the impending storm. We didn't usually get snow, but when we did, it was a lot. Everyone was scrambling around town trying to get their errands done before this evening because who knew how long we'd be snowed in. Zoe was pretty much completely healed, with only a few headaches here and there. She was back at work full time, so I didn't have to worry about her during the day.

The Rammer Jammer was empty and I was working on closing up when my cell phone rang. I expected it to be Zoe telling me to pick something up on my way home, but it wasn't a number that my phone recognized.

"Hello?" I asked, putting the phone between my ear and shoulder while wiping the counter down.

"Is this Wade?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"This is Claudette, we uh, we were together a while ago, do you remember?" Her remarks shocked me; of course I remembered her, she was the mistake that ruined my life.

"Yeah, I remember, but listen, whatever it is, I'm sorry, I'm kind of with-"

"Wade, I'm 9 months pregnant." I had another one of those moments when my brain stopped completely.

"Wha- what do you mean you're pregnant?" I put the cloth down that I was using to clean and grabbed my phone to make sure I didn't drop it because my hands were shaking.

"I'm pregnant Wade, I'm due in a few weeks, December 16, actually. We slept together in March, 9 months ago." I was shocked to say the least. I couldn't believe this was happening. When things were finally going my way, of course they had to be ruined.

"Well, uh, are you sure it's mine?" I gathered my thoughts together enough to manage to ask that question.

"No, that's the thing. I have contacted the other guy whose it could be too, and he's coming in for a paternity test this week, and I was hoping you would too."

"Uhh, yeah, sure, I'll uh, be there."

"And Wade? Even if the baby is yours, I don't expect anything. I just wanted the father to know before the baby's born."

"Yeah, okay, well I'll see you next week I guess." I said and hung up. I put my phone down on the counter and sank into a barstool.

"God dammit." I yelled, frustrated. I cannot comprehend this. Zoe was going to hate me. For sure, our engagement would be off. There wasn't a chance for us anymore. As much as I didn't want to, I had to tell her. This was going to break her heart, but I couldn't lie to her. And I definitely couldn't lie to her for however long we were holed up at Lavon's. I took my time getting home, wasting as much time as I could and thinking about what to say. I approached the door of the house, knowing there was no going back. I took a breath and my hand reached for the doorknob. It opened before I even got the chance to touch it.

"Finally! I was getting worried, you were supposed to be home like an hour ago!" I had taken the long way home, in hopes of maybe getting hit by a car so she couldn't be as mad at me when she found out.

"Oh, yeah sorry, I just wanted to make sure the Rammer Jammer was locked up real nice incase the storm is worse than they're predictin'."

"Well get inside, it's freezing out there." She pulled me inside. I tried to feel every part of her touch on me because I knew that it would be one of the last things she did romantically, or even friendly.

"We're going to eat pretty soon, are ya hungry?" She sat down at the island with Annabeth, who was watching Lavon cook tacos.

"Uhh, sure."

"What's wrong?" She asked me, furrowing her brow.

"Nothing, just tired I guess." I said, not wanting to tell her with Annabeth and Lavon here. That would make it even worse. We ate dinner, but I was relatively silent. I had a lot on my mind.

After dinner, I was helping Lavon clean up because I knew that if I wasn't distracted, all I would be doing was thinking about my current predicament. And that would give Zoe time to grill me about why I was acting weird.

My luck ran out after dinner when Annabeth and Lavon were watching TV and Zoe and I were in the kitchen.

"Wade, I know you like the back of my hand, what's up?" She said as she sat on a stool and pulled me close. I couldn't look her in the eye, and she knew something was up.

"Come on, the last time you acted like this was after the band competition."

"Let's go outside." I told her and she looked weary.

"Alright…" She was hesitant, but she grabbed her coat. I had never taken mine off and I led her outside to the porch. I sat on the porch swing and she followed in suit.

"So what's up?" She asked as she settled into her seat on the chilled wood.

"Zoe…" I started, but my voice cracked. My breath made the air steamy, as I looked out onto the snow that was lightly dusting the ground.

"Uh oh, what'd you do?" She asked me.

"I'm so sorry." I said, but I still couldn't look at her.

"Wade, just tell me." She was mad already, I could tell by the tone in her voice. I took a deep breath.

"Claudette called me today. She's pregnant Zoe, 9 months pregnant." I said all at once, so it would be off my chest. She stayed silent, and I finally mustered up the confidence to look at her.

"Can you say something? I feel awful 'bout it. I just didn't want to lie to you."

"I can't do this right now." She shook her head, wiped a few stray tears and went back inside. I followed her.

"Zoe, can we please talk about this?" I asked when I got back into the kitchen.

"No Wade, we can't talk about this. You know why? Because I can't look at you right now. I can't stand you, actually." She raised her voice and pulled her boots on.

"Don't leave, come on, it's getting bad out there. I'll leave, alright?" I told her, urging her to stay where at least she would be with Lavon and Annabeth, who guaranteed could hear us now.

"No Wade, I'm leaving. Don't follow me!" She yelled and grabbed her bag. She slammed the door behind her, rattling the picture frame on the wall.

"DAMMIT!" I yelled and kicked the chair over.

"Hey now, my chair didn't do anything to you. What's the problem?" Lavon asked as he entered the kitchen with Annabeth trailing not far behind.

"You want to know that the problem is Lavon? The problem is that I'm a jackass who can't escape a mistake he made 9 months ago! I'm a fucking loser who should have never though that he could end up with that girl!" I yelled, frustrated at my life right now.

"Wade, slow down buddy, what are you talking about?" Lavon asked after Annabeth said that she was going to go look for Zoe.

"I fucked up."

"No, no, you didn't, not again…" Lavon said, thinking the worst.

"No, I didn't do that, that has just come to bite me in the ass. She's pregnant, Lavon."

"Zoe?" He asked, excited.

"No, not Zoe! Claudette, the girl that I slept with when I was with Zoe." I put my head in my hands and took a breath.

"And it's all over now." I said, accepting my fate, looking at the ring that now sat on the table.

"Wade, I mean, yeah, this is the worst case scenario, but it's not like you did anything wrong since you guys got back together."

"Yeah, but this ruins all of our plans. We had a future together, me and her. We were going to get married and have kids someday, our kids, not my kid with someone else." I said with disgust evident in my speech. I was disgusted with myself.

"Do you even know if this kid is yours?"

"No, not yet, I have to go in this week for a paternity test. But what happens if the kid is mine? I'm not ready to raise a kid, and not by myself. And what kind of life does a kid have going from parent to parent every week for the rest of its life? That kid doesn't deserve that."

"I think you should wait until you know if this kid is yours or not before you get all worried about it. Zoe loves you, and she forgave you for Claudette a long time ago. She's just shocked, and scared. She doesn't want this either Wade, think about that. If this is really happening, her life is gonna change forever too."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna take a walk." I told him and shoved the ring she had left behind in my pocket.

"I just spent the last two hours getting everybody inside their houses! Now I got three people unaccounted for." He grumbled. I tied my boots and left the house. I walked down to the lake, thinking of how much I screwed up in one night. I stopped back at the carriage house to grab a few things, knowing she wouldn't be there, but hoping she was. The snow was about an inch or two deep by now and there were no signs of stopping soon.

I grabbed a six pack from the fridge and left the house again. I took a short walk to the property next door and wandered in. I looked at all of the lumber that was strewn about the yard, waiting to be attended to. The loose frame of the house was wrapped in insulation to save it from the snow, but there was an opening that I slid through. I sat myself up against a makeshift wall and popped open my first beer. It was still cold, seeing as I put them in a patch of snow.

"I am such an asshole." I said bitterly as I chugged my first beer. I proceeded to drink the rest of my six pack and sit in the snow. I was a bit chilly, but not freezing because the house wrap kept the wind out. I was here drowning my sorrows and feeling bad for myself when I checked my watch. It had been about 4 hours since Zoe walked out.

"That's how you get hypothermia, you know?" The voice cut through the air, and bit me like a snake.

"How'd you know I would be here?" I asked, not looking up. I certainly wasn't drunk, maybe a little buzzed, but her voice sobered me up real quick.

"It wasn't very hard, just thought about the place that I would go if I screwed up our future and it was here." All the hopes that I had that she wasn't angry vanished.

"Why'd you come to find me?"

"Because I know you, and I knew you'd come here, where it's freezing cold." She said, looking at me. She didn't sit down though, so I didn't think she would be there for long.

"Go back to Lavon's, I'm staying at Annabeth's place. Then I won't have to worry about you dying on top of everything else."

"Why do you even care anymore Doc? I've proved time and time again that I'm a screw up. I just make things worse for you. You shouldn't even have come back here for me."

"Contrary to popular belief, I know that you're a better guy than that Wade. And I know that no matter what happens you will love that child. And I know that that makes things tough for us because I don't want that. I think we did too much too soon; maybe we should have taken things slower. We should've been friends first when I came back. Then maybe this wouldn't be so hard."

"Don't say it's over, please. Everything that I've done these past nine months have been for you. And if you say that it's over, I don't think my heart could take it. We don't even know if it's my kid yet. Please, just don't say anything yet." I pleaded with her and she looked up at the snow coming down.

"Call me when you know and we'll see what happens." She told me. And as quick as she came, she was gone. Leaving me in the snow, alone. After a few minutes, I picked up the empty beer bottles and headed to Lavon's. I quietly opened the back door and walked through it. Lavon was waiting for me.

"Did you see her?" He asked and I nodded.

"And?"

"And she said to call her when I know whether it's mine or not." I said, my eyes welling with tears. The screwed up thing about this whole thing is that there was no one to blame but myself. I caused her this pain, so I deserved to be hurt too.

"She'll come around Wade, just give her time. Annabeth is staying with her tonight, so she'll be okay. Just go in to Mobile to get that test done as soon as possible."

"Why do I have to go to Mobile? Can't they do that here?"

"Well I'm sure they could, but do you really want your fiancée to be the one who has to do the test that seals your fate?" He was right, that wasn't fair to her.

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish I could do this now so I could know."

"It'll all be alright Wade, just try to get some sleep, we may have a big ahead of us tomorrow if the snow keeps coming." I nodded and went to his spare room. I didn't sleep much that night, which just gave me more time to wallow in self- pity.

I got up when I heard Lavon walking around at 7 the next morning. I didn't know if we had power, but he was busy doing something. I peaked out the window before leaving the room and the snow sure had come.

"Wade, good, you're awake. I'm gonna need your help. Half the town is without power and almost everyone is snowed in. I'm going to need you to open the Rammer Jammer so people can come and stay warm. The practice is going to have to stay open too, we need to house the people without power somewhere. Can you please go check on Annabeth for me? You don't even need to see Zoe, but I can't get ahold of her cause the phone lines are down." I nodded because I knew he was extremely busy.

"I'll take the ATV and attach the plow, so at least there's some sort of path to get through." I told him and put on my heavy coat. I went outside and got everything set up and got on the ATV, feeling the cool air on my face. It was slow goings for awhile until I got off the plantation. I rode into town and finally made my way to Annabeth's apartment.

I walked up to the door, hearing music blaring before I even reached the door.

_It's strange to think the songs we used to sing_

_The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone_

_Yesterday I found out about you_

_Even now just looking at you feels wrong_

_You say that you'd take it all back, given one chance_

_It was a moment of weakness and you said, "Yes."_

I sighed, knowing this most likely had to do with me. At least they had power. I knocked lightly.

_You should've said "No", you should've gone home_

_You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go_

_You should've known that word, with what you did with her,_

_Get back to me (get back to me)._

_And I should've been there in the back of your mind_

_I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"_

_You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet..._

_You should've said "No", baby, and you might still have me_

I could hear some shuffling inside and hoped it was Zoe. The door opened, but it was Annabeth.

"Hey Wade, let's step outside." She said, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Um, Lavon wanted me to check on your guys and make sure you had power and everything. And can you tell Zoe that Lavon wants her to open up the practice because a lot of people are out of power and they need some place to go to stay warm."

_You can see that I've been crying_

_Baby, you know all the right things to say_

_But do you honestly expect me to believe_

_We could ever be the same?_

"Sure, I can do that."

"How, uh, how's she doin?"

_You say that the past is the past, you need one chance_

_It was a moment of weakness and you said, "Yes."_

"She's doing," she paused to think about it for a moment, "as well as expected right now, as you can see, and hear. She's hurt, but she's not going back to New York if that's what you're wondering."

_You should've said "No", you should've gone home_

_You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go_

_You should've known that word, with what you did with her,_

_Get back to me (get back to me)._

_And I should've been there in the back of your mind_

_I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"_

_You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet..._

_You should've said "No", baby, and you might still have me_

"Do you think she wants this back?"

_I can't resist_

_Before you go, tell me this:_

_Was it worth it?_

_Was she worth this?_

"I'm not sure, but I can take it and ask her."

_No... no, no, no..._

_You should've said "No", you should've gone home_

_You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go_

_You should've known that word, with what you did with her,_

_Get back to me (get back to me)._

_And I should've been there in the back of your mind_

_I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"_

_You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet..._

_You should've said "No", baby, and you might still have me_

"Tell her that I love her? And that I'm sorry?" She promised she would and then went back inside. I hung my head and walked down the walk. I went to the Rammer Jammer and opened and started the heat. I looked around at the empty bar and new that all of this was because of her; in spite of her.

I waited until Lavon got there and waited for my next instruction. It was to go door to door and tell everyone that if they didn't have power to make their way to the Rammer Jammer and make sure no one was hurt. About two hours after making my rounds and plowing portions of the main roads I went to check on Earl. I brought him to the Rammer Jammer because he was without power, too.

"Where's the pretty doctor?"

"She's at the practice right now. Not that it would make any difference, she isn't speaking to me at the moment."

"What'd ya do now?" He asked me as he took a seat in my bar.

"It's a long story."

"Well, whatever it is son, I'm sure it'll all work out."

"I'm not so sure this time dad. She took her ring off." I said, ashamed.

"Do you know how many times your mama took that ring off? More than I can count, and we loved each other more than anything." He reassured me by patting me on the back.

"Well I certainly hope that we can make it through this. Otherwise, the only time you'll be seeing me at a wedding is if it's not mine."

"Son, I have screwed up more times than I should have, for sure, and your mama loved me just the same. She'll be okay, I know it." I nodded and went back on the ATV to get more people from their houses to the Rammer Jammer. I went out to get Tansy form her mobile home, which was pretty far away. I was turning the corner, almost at her trailer when I felt the tires start to slide on ice. The ATV started to twist and turn and fishtail. I tried to get it under control, but I turned the handle too fast and it jerked sideways and tipped over, taking me with it. I was flung pretty far, so the ATV thankfully didn't land on me. I landed on my side, feeling all of my bones rattling when I landed in the hard snow. I rolled a few times, but finally stopped on my back.

"Wade? Oh my gosh? Are you alright?" Tansy screamed when she emerged from her trailer when she heard the noise.

"I-I think so, call Lavon though and have him send someone to take us back."

"My power's out! I'll take the ATV back into town and send someone out to get you, I promise. I just have to get it on it's wheels." She said as she knelt down beside me.

"You're pretty banged up, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, but are you sure you can drive that thing back into town? It just threw me like 15 feet."

"I grew up with 3 brothers, of course I can drive it. Let me go get you some blankets, can you get up?"

"I'm not sure, just tell Lavon that I need someone strong to help me, and Tansy, do not, under any circumstances, tell Zoe."

"Wade, she has to know, you're bleeding pretty bad." She motioned to a cut on my forearm that was bleeding pretty badly. I must have cut it on a rock when I landed or something.

"Tell him to send Brick if he's sending somebody. Do not tell Zoe." I said, very seriously. She seemed to understand that and went inside. She soon brought out a few blankets and wrapped them around me to keep me warm while she worked on the ATV. It didn't take her long and she was out of my sight before I knew it. While I was out there, I tested my movement. I didn't know if I couldn't move well because it was so cold out or because I had actually hurt something. My arms and chest were fine, besides the cut, but my right leg was really hard to move and I had a searing pain in my right hip. I probably landed on my right side and that's why everything hurt.

Time moved by slowly, and I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I saw headlights. They came slowly, and soon I saw that it was George Tucker. I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life. I knew I wouldn't be able to ride behind him on an ATV though considering I can't even stand up, let alone bend my leg.

"Wade, hey buddy, it's me. Are you alright?"

"I don't think I'm seriously hurt, but I can't move my right leg, it's pretty numb from the cold."

"Alright, I'm just going to take a quick look, okay?" He pushed my shirt up and saw that bruises were traveling from my hip up my ribs.

"I don't think it's serious, just really bruised. But we've got to get you in to see Zoe, alright?"

"Not Zoe, she doesn't want to see me, take me to Brick."

"She has to know Wade, she's your fiancée."

"Not currently, we got into a fight, okay? Just take me to Brick."

"Alright, just let me figure out how we're going to get you back." He sat for a few seconds, and then asked me a question.

"Do you think Tansy has a sled?"

"I don't know, but I'm not really up for sledding now Tucker."

"To pull you on, let me go check, you still doing okay? If not, I can radio Lavon and we can try and get a truck out here?"

"That'll take too long, just go look." He nodded and got on his radio.

"Lavon, I've got him, he seems to be alright, just a bit banged up. He can't move well though, but I've got an idea. I'll let you know when we're on our way back." He spoke into the radio and walked off in the path that I had cleared earlier. He arrived a few minutes later with a very small purple sled. He put some of the blankets down on top of the sled and then helped me scoot onto it. I covered myself with a dry blanket and George tied some bungee cord around me and tied me to the sled and then the sled behind the ATV. I felt like a fool, but there were no other options.

"Lavon, we're on our way back,"

"Roger that." Came from the radio. My whole body seemed to be going into shock because I was losing feeling in most of my body. Before he got back on the ATV, I covered my face with the blanket, knowing it was going to be a cold ride back. At least the path had been pretty much cleared, so there wouldn't be snow flying back at me. The ride was awful, all of the bumps in the ground were like landing all over again. I felt the ATV slowing down and only hoped that we were back in town. I poked my head out and saw Lavon making his way towards me.

"Wade, buddy, you alright?"

"I think so, just get me inside somewhere, anywhere." I told him. He nodded and proceeded to untie me from the sled.

"Can you walk?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Alright, Brick's on his way from the practice on strict orders to not say anything to Zoe, but if you aren't as fine as you think you are, she's going to have to know. Here he comes now." Brick was running through the snow, which was difficult.

"Wade, how ya feeling? Can you tell how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"2." I responded so he knew I didn't have a head injury.

"Alright, what hurts?"

"Everything, but mostly my whole right side. I landed on it, I was thrown about 15 feet."

"Okay, yeah, you're bruising pretty bad, we're going to have to get you back to the practice, but we have to get you out of those clothes immediately because they're soaked and starting to freeze. Lavon, get me a few dry blankets." He ordered and took out a huge pair of scissors and started cutting my jeans. George was working on my jacket and I felt like falling asleep.

"Hey Wade, so why didn't you want Dr. Hart to know about this?" Brick asked, trying to keep me awake.

"We got in a fight. She's really mad."

"Well you're going to see her, or more like she's going to see you. We've got a lot of patients today, but none as urgent as you. I'm gonna need her on this too." I rolled my eyes, of course he was.

"Tell her now, so she isn't surprised when we come in?" I asked and he nodded and got on his radio.

"Dr. Hart, it's Brick." He waited on her response while moving my jeans out of the way. He wrapped my legs in a dry blanket and I was immediately glad he did.

"Wow, Wade, those are some nasty bruises. I'm surprised you didn't go unconscious because of the impact." George told me and Brick gave him a look to shut up.

"What's up Brick?" Came over the radio and I winced.

"Dr. Hart, I've got Wade here, he was thrown form the ATV about 15 feet and was out in the snow about an hour before we got to him. We're bringing him in now, but he's pretty banged up so I'm going to need your help." He said quickly, not wanting to make her mad.

"What do you mean an hour ago? Why am I finding this out now? I'm his fiancée, you should've told me when you knew. Is he okay? What are we looking at?"

"His right side is pretty badly bruised, said he landed on that side, he's got a nasty gash on his forearm, maybe a touch of frostbite on his toes. He was in the snow for an hour. We're working on getting him in now. He's responsive and conscious."

"Alright, well get him in here." Was all she said.

"Well that didn't sound like she was too mad with ya, huh?" Brick tried to distract me.

"Yeah, well she doesn't want to air our dirty laundry I guess. She's real pissed." I revealed and they continued wrapping me in blankets. My fingers were starting to get some of their feeling back and I was glad. I was unable to move because of how tightly wrapped up I was, but Lavon, George, and Brick picked me up and I was glad to be out of the snow. I closed my eyes because my eyeballs were even freezing. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the warm air of the practice hit my face.

"We're going to put him in the back room, careful, watch his feet." Brick instructed.

"Oh my God, Wade, what the hell is wrong with you?" Her voice was sharp, but concerned.

"Sorry Doc, next time I'll try to land a little better." I joked, hoping to relieve the tension. I hadn't seen her yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

"Alright, you two can go back to the square, we've got it from here. Dr. Hart if you're going to cry to entire time, maybe you should excuse yourself." Brick ordered and I looked up to see if she was crying. She was, but it wasn't mad crying, it was scared crying.

"I'm fine," she said as she wiped her tears and started to remove the blankets.

"We've got to get some heating pads on him." Brick said, walking to the supply closet. For a moment it was just me and Zoe.

"You know if you wanted to see me so badly you could've just came by instead of almost getting yourself killed." She said and I tried to muster a smirk. Her hands were fast as she took my blood pressure and checked my pulse. She moved to my chest.

"Does that hurt?" She asked, pushing on my ribs. I nodded yes and she moved lower to my hip. She pressed lightly, but I screamed in agony.

"It doesn't look broken, Brick, but maybe bring in the machine just to rule out a fracture?" She spoke to Brick and went back to my thigh.

"How bad is the pain from 1-10 and don't sugar coat it."

"An 8 I'd say."

"Alright, let me get you some pain medication." She said as she went to the closet. She got a bag and hooked me up to it. She went back to inspecting my leg.

"I'm gonna have to stitch up that arm." She said, not even looking at it.

"Can we use this time wisely and talk?"

"You're on drugs, I don't want to talk while you're on drugs."

"You just started them, I'm still lucid, please, I'm sorry."

"I know you are Wade, but sometimes sorry doesn't fix things." She said monotone as she got her stitching supplies out. Brick returned with the x-ray machine. He got pictures of my hip and leg and waited for them to develop.

"Brick, why didn't you tell me when you knew it was Wade who was hurt?" Zoe confronted him while she was stitching me up. I winced.

"I was under strict orders not to. Lavon told me that Tansy came back on the ATV saying that Wade was hurt but to not say a word to you."

"Yeah, that one is my fault, I didn't think you'd want to see me."

"When you're hurt? Are you kidding me? God, that's ridiculous. So we're fighting, that doesn't mean that when you're hurt that you avoid me like the plague." She chastised and I nodded.

"So what's the prognosis on my leg?" I asked, cutting the tension in the room.

"There don't appear to be any fractures, just major bruising." Brick relayed before excusing himself to see other patients.

"Zoe, I really am sorry. I just need you to know that."

"I know Wade, I know." She sighed, putting her stitching instruments away before leaving me alone in the room.


	14. Pretend by Scott Porter & The Glory Dogs

Wednesday rolled around and there had been nearly 3 days of radio silence from Zoe. I was feeling a bit better, and now that the snow and melted some and the roads were clear, Lavon was driving me to Mobile. I had called Claudette and told her I was getting the test done. It would be tested to see if it matched with her blood sample, and she told me that the other guy had given blood the day before, so they should know within the next day or two. I was nervous, this could change my entire life. A girl I met once could ruin my future with the girl of my dreams. I wanted to be mad at her, but I couldn't be, this wasn't her fault, it was mine, like always.

"You alright dude?" Lavon looked over at me.

"No, but I'll make it if that's what you're asking."

"Wade, stop worrying, you don't know anything yet."

"I'm going to worry because even if this test is negative, what does that mean for me and Zoe. She obviously hasn't forgiven me; she's obviously still hurt by what I did. I was this close Lavon, this close to getting married and finally living a somewhat normal happy life. I was months from my happy ever after, and yet again, I don't get it." I snapped.

"Hey man, I didn't do any of this, so don't take it out on me. I'm just saying, you don't know what the test is going to say and you don't know how Zoe is going to react." I sighed and winced when Lavon hit a bump in the road. I was still pretty bruised and I just wanted things to go back to normal.

"Yeah, you're right, sorry." I apologized when he pulled into the parking lot. He stayed in the car while I limped into the hospital and found my way to the lab. I walked in and saw there were a few people in front of me. I sat and waited until they called my name and I went back. I was in and out in ten minutes and I was walking back to the car when I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out of my pocket, expecting it to be Wanda saying they needed me to work tonight or something. The name on the screen was Zoe's, so I automatically expected that something was wrong.

"Zoe, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I just wasn't expecting to hear from you and figured it was an emergency."

"No emergency, just wanted to know if you had that test done?" She skirted around the question and I knew she felt awkward asking. Hell, I would too.

"Yeah, just finished, actually. I should hear in the next day or two. Can we, uh, meet maybe?"

"I think we should wait until we know what the test says because I don't want to say or do anything that I'll regret later without knowing what the test says." She says, still a bit nervous.

"Okay, yeah, you're right." I said, defeated.

"I'll talk to you later then." She said, about to hang up.

"I love you, Zoe." I said, surprising even myself.

"I love you too." She said after hesitating for a few seconds. She hung up the phone as I got back in the car.

"Ready to go?"

"Yepp." Lavon and I didn't talk on the way home. I had a lot on my mind. He dropped me off at the carriage house, where I had been staying the past few days. It felt weird to be here without her, considering that it was her house and all. She was at Annabeth's still, which made Lavon anxious for us to make up so she could go back to his place. I painfully climbed the stairs and sat on the couch. I looked around at the house and felt how empty it was. What would we do with our new house? Would she live in it even though it's so big? Would she find someone else to live in it with her? I hung my head and for the first time since this happened, I let myself really cry.

I hated myself for doing this to her. For repeatedly hurting her. She deserved someone who could make her happy and not have to worry about things like these. I felt the hot tears stream down my face, but made no effort to stop them. It felt like my eyeballs were burning and the tears were the only thing that could tame the pain. I had a Zoe shaped hole in my heart and unless she forgave me, it wasn't going away any time soon. I put my head in my hands and continued to cry.

"I changed my mind, I was hoping maybe we could have that talk?" Her voice shook me from my pity party and my head bounced up. How long had she been standing there? My face turned red and my hands immediately went to wipe my tears away.

"Yeah, sure, of course." I said, but not moving from my spot on the couch. She came and sat next to me, but not too close to me.

"Wade, I just have a few things that I need to get off my chest that I've been wanting to say for the past couple of days, but I couldn't. I just needed time to process and think before getting into this with you."

"I know, I understand."

"It's not that I haven't forgiven you for that night, I have, I did a while ago. This news just brought it all back up. I felt like it was happening all over again. I felt like she had a part of you that I don't have, that I may never have. She could have that and I couldn't give you that."

"What are you saying?"

"I wasn't so much as mad at you, but I was hurt, and I was upset that she could have your child and I couldn't. What happened over the summer, that killed me, and then to here that you could have that with another girl broke my heart. It's not like I didn't know that you had sex, I did, but this just made it frigidly realistic."

"You know that I would take that back in a second if I could. You're the first thought in my mind all day everyday. And about this summer, none of that was your fault. They said those things happen and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. Even if this kid is mine, you have something she will never have. You have my heart, you have my brain even. All of my thoughts are about you, you inhabit my brain constantly. She means nothing to me, and she never did."

"What if it is yours though? Are you ready for that? Because I can assure you, I'm not ready to take care of a kid that's not mine. I just don't think I could do it. It would hurt too much."

"No, honestly, I'm not ready for that at all. And I know you don't deserve to have to be strapped down with a kid, so if it is mine, I'll give you a get out of jail free card. You can go, no questions asked."

"I don't want to though Wade, but I just think that we're going to resent each other eventually."

"You're right. I would hate me too. I do hate me. What if it's not mine though, can we go back to the way things were?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I want to say yes, but I can't right now. I don't think we'll know until we know." I nodded my head, that was better than her flat out saying we couldn't be together anymore.

"Zoe, I just want you to know that despite what happens in the next few days, I will always love you more than anything in this world. You have made me happier than I ever imagined possible, and I won't forget that. You deserve the world Zoe Hart, and I know I can't give that to you."

"Wade-" She started, but was interrupted by my phone ringing. She paused, waiting for me to check who it is.

"It's the hospital." I deadpanned, knowing this was the moment that would change our lives. Half of me desperately wanted to answer it, and know the truth. The other half of me was perfectly content just not knowing at all.

"Well answer it." She urged. I pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" I mustered out.

"Hi, is the Wade Kinsella?"

"Yes, this is him." I waited.

"This is Teresea from Mobile Regional Hospital. I'm calling in regards to Claudette Davis's paternity test?"

"Mhmm…"

"Her blood test does not seem to match the blood sample you gave us, and she gave us permission to tell you that it did match the other man who came in here."

"So it's not mine?" I couldn't believe it. I was almost as shocked as I had been when I found out it might be mine.

"No, the baby is not yours."

"Okay, thank you so much." I hung up the phone and had a stupid smile on my face. I walked back over to Zoe.

"It's not mine." I said and she sighed and stood up.

"Thank God." She muttered and leaned in. I wrapped my arms around her, glad I could finally hold her again. I knew that things still weren't okay, but they were definitely better than they would have been if it was mine.

We stood like that for a few minutes, her head ducked under my chin. She was crying, I could feel it through my shirt.

"So, are we going to duke this out now or later? Because if it's going to be now, I gotta sit down." I said when she finally pulled away.

"Yeah, sure, now is better than later. Then maybe things can get back to normal."

"Alright, well you know how I feel." I told her and she nodded.

"I just don't want any more surprises. I really don't. I can't get hurt like that anymore. I need to know that you don't have any more secrets up your sleeve."

"I promise, I don't. These past few days have been awful, I just felt so bad for repeatedly hurting you with this girl and this mistake I made. I know that I don't deserve you Zoe, but I will spend my entire life proving to you that even though I don't deserve you, I will love you unconditionally with my entire heart."

"Good, because I'm tired of fighting. I just want to get through the holidays. Put all of this behind us." She smiled the first smile I had seen from her since I told her about Claudette.

"Thank God." I said before embracing her again.

"I missed this." I mumbled into her hair. She nodded.

"Me too."

"So does that mean that you're spending the night because I don't think I can go another night without you."

"Yeah, I just have to get my stuff from Annabeth's."

"I'll help you."

"Wade, you're supposed to be resting that leg. You've got a nasty contusion, remember?"

"Oh trust me Doc, I remember."

"I still cannot believe that you didn't want me to know."

"I didn't want to worry you. I knew you had a lot on your mind."

"Okay, but for future reference, I'd appreciate a head's up when my fiancée was lying in a ditch for an hour in freezing conditions with a crushed right side of his body." She said as we walked out the door.

"Alright, next time you'll be the first to know."

"Better be." She remarked as we got in her car.

"So since you're staying the night, how about some hot make up sex?"

"Don't push your luck."

We gathered her things from Annabeth's, which she was happy about and took them back to the carriage house.

"So are you coming to the Christmas party on Friday?"

"Are you kidding? You think I'd miss out on an opportunity to see my fiancée sing? Never."

"How do ya know I'm singing?"

"Because I know you Wade Kinsella, and singing is what you do."

"We'll see." I winked and picked up Penny.

"Penny missed you, ya know that?"

"Yeah right, I'm sure she was just glad that she got you all to herself."

"Jealous of a cat Doc?"

"Nope, not at all." She said as she put some of her clothes back in her drawers.

"God, I cannot wait until we are out of this house! It is getting way too small." She expressed, frustrated.

"We've got about a month and a half! Then we'll be living in a huge house and you won't see me at all." I smiled at her.

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes. I didn't want to push it because she was still upset with me, but she seemed to be coming around.

We went to the Rammer Jammer for dinner, seeing that it was open again because everyone's power was restored. The rest of the night was uneventful, but I was glad. I needed uneventful for a while.

Thursday went by fast because I worked all day, and so did Zoe. We were both pretty tired when we got home, so we barely even talked. Friday came, and Zoe was off to work early.

"I'll see you at the party?" She said before kissing me on the lips.

"Of course. It's Christmas Eve, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." I told her and she smiled. She begrudgingly got off the bed and went out the door. I took this opportunity to wrap her gifts, which I had been hiding at my place. I wrapped the earrings first, knowing they were the most important. We had a very small tree over at the carriage house and there were a few gifts under there already. I put one of the stickers on the wrapping paper and wrote To: Zoe From: Santa. I wrote that on all her gifts.

I also got her some pajamas from Victoria's Secret because they were her favorite. That was an experience; I took Lavon with me and I'm pretty sure they thought that him and I were creepers shopping together. Those were easy to wrap too, but now I had to wrap her next gift. It was a picture frame with a picture that Wanda had taken. It was of the day I proposed to her, in black and white. The background was blurry, but our images were crystal clear, like we were the only two in the world. I was smiling and playing the guitar, looking at her and she was smiling too, but crying, and her eyes were locked on mine. It was a great picture, and she hadn't seen it yet. I was hoping that it might get me back in her good graces because I thought it was a pretty amazing gift. It wasn't like it was expensive or anything, the frame was $30 and having the picture printed was $10, but I was proud of this gift. It was my favorite. I put the gifts under the tree and got ready for work. I was supposed to be there at 10, but I was running late, it was already 10:15. What are they going to do though? Fire me?

I got there within the next ten minutes, and I grabbed a notepad and pen and went to work getting orders.

"Dash, what can I get you today?"

"I'll have my usual. Where's your fancy fiancée today? I went into the practice and Brick told me that she wasn't there today." I raised my eyebrows, not knowing where she was.

"Dash, stop trying to turn everything into drama. She's probably in Mobile doing last minute shopping." I told him before stalking back to the kitchen. I was just about done with everyone being in my business. The rest of the morning went slowly, but on break I went to check if Zoe was back yet, and bring her lunch. I walked into the practice with a bag in my hands and Annabeth greeted me.

"Hi Wade, how are ya today?"

"I'm fine, is Zoe here?" She looked down at her planner before answering.

"She's with a patient right now, but she should be done in 5 minutes tops if you want to wait." I nodded and took a seat in the empty waiting room.

"I'll write you that prescription," Zoe's voice traveled as she opened the door from the exam room.

"Hi baby, didn't expect to see you here!" She said when she saw me sitting down.

"I brought you lunch," I said as I handed her the bag. Magnolia left the office after getting the prescription from Zoe.

"Why doesn't she see her dad?"

"There are some things that you can't see your dad for, trust me." She said and patted my chest before looking in the bag. I shook my head, trying to get that out of my head.

"I brought you a turkey club with pickles."

"My favorite." She smiled and took it out of the bag.

"Thank you." She kissed me with a mouth full of food.

"You're welcome." I laughed.

"Well I should get back to the Rammer Jammer, but I'll see you tonight." I winked and she smiled. I left the Rammer Jammer around 4 and went home to get ready. I put on a light blue button up shirt, khaki pants, and a red tie. I brushed my hair and went over to Lavon's.

"So, you ready for tonight?" I asked him as he paced the kitchen floor.

"I hope so."

"Nervous?"

"For sure." He said as he stopped to take a sip of water.

"I can relate. My life is just a bunch of nervous moments strung together. You'll be fine, she's been wanting this forever. And everything's all set, it'll be good. I know it." I reassured him.

"You got the ring?" I asked and he nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you there buddy. The next time I see you, you'll be an engaged man." I patted him on the back and left, knowing Annabeth would be there any minute. I had been sworn to secrecy, Zoe didn't even know, which was probably a good thing with her big mouth.

I got there around 5:30 and a lot of people were already there. Since Zoe wasn't here yet, I tended bar a bit just to help out. I saw her walk in though and relinquished myself of my duties.

"Hi baby." I whispered as I wrapped my arms around her from behind, taking her by surprise.

"Hey, I've got a fiancée here, you know? He could see us at anytime." She joked and spun around.

"Well I guess I'll have to take you in the back then." I winked and she threw her head back, laughing.

"You remember how well that worked last time?" I blushed at the memory with Wanda.

"Hey you wanna know a secret?" She nodded her head.

"Lavon is proposing tonight." I whispered so only she could here me.

"Shut up! No way! I can't believe he told you and not me! I'm so mad, but so happy!" She exclaimed and I put my fingers to my lips to quiet her down.

"I'm going to kill him and hug him when I see him."

"Well that might be tough to do both." I remarked and she hit me on the chest.

"Hey, you look beautiful tonight." I told her, pulling her close.

"Well you look pretty good yourself."

"Want a drink?" She nodded. That was one of the perks of owning the bar, you didn't have to wait for drinks. After we drank our drinks, we danced for a few songs. Lavon and Annabeth entered the bar, holding hands. Zoe immediately pulled away from me. Before she could get to him, he opened his mouth.

"We're getting married!" He boomed in his loud voice. Everyone quieted down at first, and then cheered. Zoe hugged him, but scolded him for not consulting her first, and then her and AB jumped around for a while.

"Congratulations man." I said as I hugged him. He thanked me for my help in the planning portion and then we parted ways. The band had taken a break, so I got up on stage, just like Zoe knew I would.

_Say, won't you stay; we can talk about nothing at all_

_Or sit here and make up the words as we go along _

_The games, we could play _

_Maybe silently write us a song _

_Quietly shout from the roof that we don't belong _

I smiled at the lyrics. She certainly was trouble; we both were.

_They told me maybe she's crazy a little like you _

_Everyone said you were nothing but trouble and _

_All that I know is that I've never been here before _

_And no, I'll never leave, if it's alright with you _

_Dreaming of oceans while jumping in puddles and _

_All of my life I pretend you where there by the door _

_I don't need to pretend any more_

Strumming the guitar, I could see her laughing from her seat, watching me.

_Strange, oh so strange_

_When it feels better being alone _

_You accept there is nobody else and set it in stone _

_And then you, came along _

_Your reflection was so sad and strong_

_You made me believe once again that I could be wrong_

_They told me maybe she's crazy a little like you _

_Everyone said you were nothing but trouble and _

_All that I know is that I've never been here before _

_And no, I'll never leave, if it's alright with you _

_Dreaming of oceans while jumping in puddles and _

_All of my life I pretend you where there by the door _

_I don't need to pretend any more _

_And it hurts, to know, there was somebody out there as strange and _

_As beautiful, as you If I'd known sooner _

_Maybe she's crazy a little like you _

_Everyone said you were nothing but trouble _

_All that I know is that I've never been here before _

_And no, I'll never leave, if it's alright with you _

_Dreaming of oceans while jumping in puddles and _

_All of my life I pretend you where there by the door _

_I don't need to pretend any more_

_I don't need to pretend anymore _

_I don't need to pretend anymore_

Everyone clapped when I finished and I toasted to the newly engaged couple. I hopped off stage when the band came back on.

"You're amazing, you know that?" She said as I sat down next to her.

"Well of course I know that." I joked and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You ready to get out of here?" She asked me and I nodded, I was more ready than ever to get out of here. We walked hand in hand back to the carriage house.

"I love you Wade Kinsella." She told me when we approached the carriage house. I squeezed her hand.

"I love you too. And I can't wait to marry you."

"4 more months." She smiled and put her forehead against mine.

"It's going to be the longest four months of my life."

"It'll fly by, trust me."


	15. Crash My Party by Luke Bryan

She was right, it was flying by. It was the third week in February and we were almost all moved in. The house was finished and we were having everyone over for a pool party. I felt so lame saying pool party, but the day was warm and the pool was cool, so Zoe had invited Annabeth, Lavon, Lemon, and Peter. Lemon and Zoe were on good terms now, maybe actually friends some would say. Peter was a nice guy and got along well with everyone when he was in town. I also didn't mind seeing Zoe in a bikini, I wasn't going to protest. I was grilling some burgers with Lavon and Peter while the girls were talking by the pool. The house was more than I could have imagined. It was perfect in every aspect.

"So Wade, the big day's coming up. Getting excited?" Peter asked.

"About a month and a half, but it still seems so far away. I guess we'll be getting married before I know it and then you'll both be bachelors and I'll be jealous." I remarked.

"Can't back out now Kinsella!" Zoe yelled from her spot on a chair. I laughed, that girl had ears like a hawk.

The girls went inside to get the other food and I just shook my head. What was I going to do with her? When the burgers were done, I went inside to get the girls.

"Well Max and I were thinking about having sex, and you're a doctor, so…" I heard a young voice say. No. No. No. Rose was not having sex with that Max dummy. It was not happening. I was going to kill him.

"Rose, that's a big step, are you sure that's what you want?" Zoe asked. I made my presence known by speaking.

"No, that is not what she wants!" I said, looking from Zoe to Rose. Lemon and Annabeth snickered.

"Wade, calm down, we were just talking. Besides this is between a woman and her doctor. Privacy please." She waved me off.

"She is not a woman! She's a girl, she's a baby. She's only 17, Rose don't do this."

"How old were you Wade?" She asked me and put me in a bad position.

"Well, that's different. I was stupid. You aren't. Rose, sex ruins everything."

"Really? Everything? I'll keep that in mind." Zoe laughed. Why was no one taking me seriously.

"That's definitely not what I meant, but sex is meant to be had between two people who love each other."

"So you've been in love with every single person you've had sex with?" She asked me innocently. Dammit.

"No, but…" I was at a loss of what to say.

"Rose, if you want to talk about it more, come by the practice seeing as my fiancée cannot control himself at the moment." Zoe laughed and Rose thanked her and left.

"You cannot seriously be thinking about letting her do that?"

"What can I do?"

"Call her mom, tell her she's going to get pregnant and die! I don't know, something, anything!" I felt desperate. Rose cannot have sex. She was way too young.

"Wade Kinsella, you were 15 when you first had sex. I was 16, she's 17, that's older than both of us were." I was disgusted, no boys should even be touching Rose.

"Whatever." I huffed, knowing I was losing this argument.

"Let's eat." She exclaimed as we sat at the table.

"Zoe, the house is really something else. It is amazing." Lemon said as we ate.

"Thanks, but really that's Wade's department. I just told him what I wanted and he planned it all. But I love the house too." Lunch went by quickly and the girls went back to chatting by the pool. The boys and I were in and out of the pool though, and Zoe stood up to talk to Lavon, who was in the pool. I put my finger up to my lips, signaling Lavon to not say a word. He acted engaged in their conversation, but I came up behind her and picked her up in my arms. She screamed.

"Wade, don't!" She screamed before I jumped in the pool with her in my arms. She waved her arms for a second before sputtering and taking some deep breaths.

"I'm going to kill you." She said and jumped on top of me. I was definitely in for it.

By the week of the wedding, we were completely moved into the new house. It was big, but we were having fun breaking in all of our new furniture. Both the carriage house and the gatehouse were cleaned out, and Lavon was in need of tenants. The wedding was this Saturday, and it was Thursday. That meant that we had our respective bachelor/bachelorette parties. I was excited, we were going to the woods to hunt and fish and all that good stuff. It was Lavon, George, Tom, Jesse, Earl, Peter, and Meatball and me. A nice secluded night with my guys was exactly what I needed to relieve me of the wedding madness. Our house was filled with flowers and ribbons and magazines; it seemed like I was drowning in wedding paraphernalia. Annabeth was planning Zoe's party, so that would be interesting.

We arrived at the cabin early in the morning and set out for a day of hunting, fishing, and drinking. It was all together the perfect bachelor party because it wasn't crazy, which I like, but it was relaxing and comfortable.

"So Wade, you ready to be married by the end of the weekend."

"I'm ready to throw out all the magazines is what I'm ready for. She has thousands of them." I said as I rested into a chair and drank a beer.

"But really, I am excited. I can't wait, actually." I thought about the impending nuptials.

"It's going to be great man," George assured me, "And even if it's not, it still beats my wedding." Everyone shared a laugh and I peaked at my phone, which had vibrated.

_Meet me outside when everyone goes to bed_

I smiled and was glad that she sent that. I wasn't going to see her until the wedding because the girls were going on some sort of spa trip tomorrow in Mobile.

"Was that her?"

"What? Oh, yeah, that was her. She's drunk." I lied because I knew they wouldn't let me sneak out to see her. Goes against bachelor party rules I guess.

"I'm not surprised. Annabeth came home from buying things and she had all sorts of alcohol for the occasion. When are they leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, real early. The next time I'll see her is when she's walking down the aisle." I put my empty beer down and rested back in the chair.

"I can't believe that my brother is the first one to get married." Jesse expressed.

"Hey now, I was married before." I joked and looked at Tucker.

"Yeah, but that didn't count. This is not a drunken decision. This is for real. The whole town is buzzing about this wedding. Can't back out now brother."

"I would never. I'm finally growing up boys. This is it."

"Yeah, this time next year you could have a baby." Earl added.

"We'll see. We don't have any plans yet." I announced. Soon, everyone parted ways because of our day in the sun, which exhausted everyone. I went back to my room and texted her.

_Everyone's asleep, you outside?_

_Yeah._

I quietly opened the back door and saw her car was there with the headlights turned off.

"How'd you sneak out? I thought Annabeth was confiscating your phone?"

"Let's just say I'm sneaky." She winked.

"Wanna go for a drive?" I asked her and she nodded. We took her car because it was farther from the house and hopefully wouldn't wake everyone up. I immediately turned down the radio because it would wake everyone up for sure.

"Jesus, what were you listening to?" I asked.

"You're going to be embarrassed if I tell you." She said, looking at the cd player. I pressed eject and read the writing on the cd.

"Annabeth made it for me, it's you singing from open mic nights. From the whole summer. I love it, actually." I was slightly embarrassed. I didn't even know these were being recorded. I put it back in and listened as the first song played and it took me back to the memory of performing it. It happened about a month after she left.

_It don't matter what plans I got, I can break 'em._

_Yeah, I can turn this thing around at the next red light_

_And I don't mind telling all the guys I can't meet 'em._

_Hell, we can all go raise some hell on any other night_

_Girl, I don't care. Oh I just gotta see what you're wearing._

_Your hair, is it pulled up or falling down?_

_Oh I just have to see it now._

You can tell by the tone in my voice that I was still sad. I was sad the entire time she was gone, but those first few months were rough.

_If you wanna call me, call me, call me._

_You don't have to worry 'bout it baby._

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night;_

_Wreck my plans, baby that's alright._

_This is a drop everything kind of thing._

_Swing on by I'll pour you a drink._

_The door's unlocked. I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby you can crash my party anytime._

_Ain't a spot downtown that's rockin' the way that you rock me._

_Ain't a bar that can make me buzz the way that you do._

_I could be on the front row of the best show._

_And look down and see your face on my phone._

_And I'm gone so long, hang on. I'll meet you in a minute or two._

_If you wanna call me, call me, call me._

_You don't have to worry 'bout it baby._

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night;_

_Wreck my plans, baby that's alright._

_This is a drop everything kind of thing._

_Swing on by I'll pour you a drink._

_The door's unlocked. I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby you can crash my party anytime._

_If it's 2 in the morning_

_And you're feeling lonely_

_And wondering what I'm doing..._

_Go ahead and call me, call me, call me_

_You don't have to worry 'bout it baby._

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night;_

_Wreck my plans, baby that's alright._

_This is a drop everything kind of thing._

_Swing on by I'll pour you a drink._

_The door's unlocked. I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby you can crash my party anytime._

_(Call me, call me, call me)_

_Baby you can crash my party anytime._

The song ended and I turned it off.

"You know, you're kind of crashing my party now." I smiled at her and she laughed.

"I can leave if you want."

"Never." I said as she pulled off to the side of the road.

"I'm really excited for Saturday." She said.

"Me too. I can't wait to finally be married to you forever. It's going to be a great time, and you're going to look beautiful, you always do. Have your vows written?" She nodded.

"Good, at least one of us has to be an eloquent speaker." She laughed.

"You'll be fine. You're just talking to me, it doesn't have to be eloquent."

"Yeah, you know the next time I see you after this is when you're walking down the aisle."

"Better get a good look then."

"So did you hear from your dad?"

"He's stuck in Berlin right now, but we'll see. I can just give myself away, not like I'm not used to living without parents."

"If he doesn't show up, I was kinda thinking maybe Lavon could do it? I mean, he's like your brother, and I know that he's my best man, but he would love to do it. I think it would mean a lot to him."

"Yeah, I never thought of that. He's probably better fit to do it than Ethan. That will just be awkward. I mean he can come, but I think I'm going to ask Lavon, you're right." She seemed satisfied with the suggestion. We sat in her car until the sun started to come up.

"We better get going before anyone notices that we're gone." I told her and she nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I kissed her passionately.

"I'll be the one in white." She said before stopping the car.

"I love you Wade Kinsella."

"I love you too Dr. Kinsella." I said and she smiled.

"I like the sound of that." She dropped me off a bit away from the cabin so no one saw her. I quietly entered the cabin, but everyone was already up.

"Where were you?" Earl asked me, handing me a cup of coffee.

"Uhh, I took a walk, I needed to clear my head, and nothing does that better than the woods in the morning." No one seemed to know I was lying, and carried on with the day.

"So we'll head back into town around noon and grab a drink at your fine establishment and then go get our tuxes for tomorrow. I love weddings!" Lavon expressed.

"Have you heard from Zoe?" Peter asked.

"A text, but that's it. She said they left for the spa in Mobile and she would see me tomorrow."

"How's the set up going?" I asked Lavon because the wedding was taking place on the plantation under the willow trees, near the lake, but not on the lake; too many bugs.

"Good, they're bringing in the arbor today and bringing in all the chairs and then tomorrow they'll set them up, arrange the flowers, do all that stuff." I was excited and hoped everything would go smoothly. I had to be at the airport at 4 to pick up Michael and Christina form their flight in from New York, and I was also supposed to be getting Ethan, but it doesn't look like that's happening.

The day went by quickly because there was much to do and before I knew it, I was waiting at the airport for Zoe's friends. They walked out of the gate with Cassie in their arms. She was going to be the flower girl, seeing as she was Zoe's god daughter.

"Wade! How are you?" Christina asked as I made my way to them.

"I'm good, the nerves are starting to set in though." I admitted as I led them back to the Navigator that Lavon let me borrow.

"It's going to be a great day Wade." Michael reassured me. I drove them through town and showed them a few spots, but took them to the Whipperwill before dinner. I told them to go to the Rammer Jammer for dinner because I would be there.

After showing them around town for an hour, they were exhausted and so was I. I told them that I would see them tomorrow and they thanked me for entertaining them for the night. I went back to the house, and went to bed, with only Penny to keep me company. Before going to bed, I made a final wish that everything would go over smoothly tomorrow.


	16. More Than Anyone by Gavin DeGraw

I woke up at 9 after a surprisingly good night's sleep. I checked my phone and saw a few texts messages. The first one I opened was from Lavon.

_All the boys are over at my place for breakfast. Come join when you get up. You're getting married!_

The next one was from Zoe.

_Happy wedding day! I love you!_

And the last one was from Lavon again.

_I'm so excited! Get your ass over here!_

I chuckled at the last one, Lavon was really ready to have this wedding. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and made my way over to Lavon's. I observed all of the activity going on in the yard; the chairs were all set up, the arbor was in place, the aisle was laid down, and they were working on the flowers now. I went through the back door into his kitchen where there was a huge spread of food. Waffles, toast, eggs, omelets, pancakes, fruit, smoothies, everything.

"Wade! The man of the day! How's it going?" Lavon yelled excitedly.

"How many cups of coffee have you had already?" I laughed softly as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Just 2, I'm just that excited for you to be a married man!"

"Yeah, it's about time someone tamed you." Jesse joked.

"So what time do you have to get ready?" George asked.

"More importantly, what time do we have to be ready?" Earl asked. He was surprisingly sober, as he promised he would be today.

"Wedding starts at six promptly, she made that very clear. If I'm a minute late she's 'not marrying me.' But that means we have to be ready by 5, I've gotta shower and everything, so I'll be at my place by 3, and definitely here by 5. So everyone here by 5, in their tuxes." I instructed.

"Zoe and the girls are getting ready in the carriage house, so that is off limits, especially to you." Lavon looked at me.

"We'll see about that." I joked.

"Now are you gonna cut my hair or what?" I asked as I put some pancakes on my plate. Lavon nodded and stood behind me while I ate. He trimmed my hair while the other guys helped the caterers bring the cake in.

"Wow, that looks great!" I said as I saw the cake.

"Hey Son, can I see you for a second?" Earl asked when everything had quieted down. I followed him into the living room.

"What's up?" I put my hands on my hips.

"I know you aren't expecting anything from me, like a gift or nothing, but I do have a few things for you. Not really monetary items, but still,"

"Dad, what is it?" I cut to the chase.

"Well the first thing is that I have decided that I'm going to stop drinking. Completely, I've already started actually, about two weeks sober. I know it's not much, but I'm really trying."

"Dad, that's great! I'm really proud of you. What made you make that decision?"

"Well let's just say your mama and I had a discussion one day about spoiling our grandchildren and she would never forgive me if I wasn't around to do that." I pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." I told him.

"That's not all, speaking of your mama, I have something for you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled something out. It was a bit brown around the edges, but it was still legible. It said Wade across the top and in smaller letters said "For the day he gets married." I snatched it from his hands.

"You've kept this all this time?" I asked, nervous to open it. It was like getting a piece of mail from beyond the grave. He nodded.

"I'll leave you alone." He said and I sat on the couch and carefully opened the envelope, careful not to rip the paper. My eyes immediately went her curvy black handwriting. It was so familiar but so distant at the same time.

_My Dearest Wade,_

_Right now, your wedding day seems so far away. I wish with everything I have that I could be there for you today. Know that I'm always thinking about you and always watching over you. I bet you never thought this day would come, huh? My biggest wish for you is that you have found the girl who knows your heart, just like your Dad knows mine. You're only 10 now, but I can tell that you're going to grow up to be a heartbreaker. Hopefully this girl is your forever. And I know that if you're marrying her then you must be serious because Kinsella boys never settle for anything they aren't serious about. I wish I could have met her. Maybe I already have? Who knows? Regardless, I bet she is the most wonderful woman in the world and treats you right. You deserve that Wade, and you always have. I've enclosed a note for you to give to her, too. Don't read it, please. I want something that this girl and I can share, just us two. I always wanted a daughter, but God decided to bless me with three amazing boys in my life instead. I hope you are sharing this blessed day with your brother and your father. Be a rock for this girl because she is so special Wade. She is the one who will bless you with a child of your own some day. She will take care of you, and look out for you. When times get tough, remember that she will always be there to pick up the pieces when you can't. Never take her for granted because you never know when God can take her from you, just like he is me from your father. Remember that I will always love you, no matter what. You and your brother were the best thing that I could have asked for. I'll be watching from up above today._

_Love Always,_

_Mama_

I took a deep breath after reading that. That really got me emotional. Reading this was just like having a conversation with her. I could still hear her voice in my head. It was like I was transported to the past. I wiped my eyes and smiled.

"God ma, you always know what to say, huh?" I looked up. I shook my head and stuck the smaller envelope in my pocket. I got up and walked back into the kitchen.

"You married a great woman." I told Earl.

"Just like you're about to." I smiled, knowing he was right.

We sat around talking for most of the morning. The morning faded into noon and I saw Annabeth sneak in the back door.

"Hi honey! We're back, all the girls are in the carriage house, but we blew the fuse box…"

"Of course you did." I said, smirking.

"Let me get my stuff." Lavon said.

"Wait, let me do it, one last time." I told him, standing up. Annabeth smiled and led me out.

"So how is she?" I asked her on our way to the box where Zoe and I had spent many nights arguing.

"She's good, relaxed after that trip to the spa. That was really nice. She's giddy, excited, you know."

"Yeah, I know. That's how I feel. I just want today to go perfectly, but this is Bluebell, so who knows what we're in for today." I said as I approached the fuse box.

"You're getting married, again. It's going to be a great day." Annabeth winked and made her way back to the carriage house.

"Tell her I can't wait to see her." She nodded and then went inside. I could hear them all talking loudly and laughing. I heard the top of a bottle of champagne pop off and the laughter that ensued.

I went back to our empty house and turned the shower on. I shaved nicely and put on cologne. I was brushing my hair when my phone rang. It said it was Annabeth, so I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Annabeth, we have a bit of an issue over here, can you come over?"

"Yeah I can come over, but is that what she wants? She made it perfectly clear that we weren't to see each other until the wedding."

"Oh trust me, she wants you here."

"I'll be right there." I spoke into the phone and pulled my sweatpants back on. I was on my way out the door by the time I was pulling my shirt on. I knocked on the door of the carriage house and waited until Annabeth answered.

"Hey, what's the issue?"

"Why don't you come in?" I stepped inside and automatically felt like an outsider. The house was all girly and there were girls everywhere. They were drinking flutes of champagne and all barely dressed except pink robes.

"Her dad called and she's kind of a mess."

"Where is she?" Annabeth pointed and I followed her path. I knocked on the door lightly.

"Zo, you in there? It's me." The door unlocked and I took that as my cue to go in. I opened the door and saw her sitting on the bathroom floor. I took a spot next to her. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked as she fingered the bottom of her white robe.

"My dad called. He's not going to make it. I don't even know why I let myself believe that he was coming anyway. I had three parents and none of them are making it to my wedding. Two are dead and the other one is just a lousy excuse for a parent."

"Then he's not even worth your tears, alright? It's his loss, trust me. You are an amazing woman and one day, he'll realize how stupid he was for missing out on he day that his amazing daughter marries a guy who does not deserve her in the slightest."

"You're right, I'll just ask Lavon to give me away. I've been living with absentee parents my whole life, why should this be any different?"

"You know Earl thinks of you like a daughter. He is definitely not the ideal parent either, but he cares about you a lot. More than me even maybe."

"Earl's a good guy." She laughed, which made me happy.

"Speaking of Earl, I have something for you." I reached in my back pocket and pulled out her envelope.

"What is this?"

"It's to you, from my mama. I got one too, Earl just gave it to me." She stared at it for a few seconds.

"Well go ahead." I urged her. I sat next to her, but I didn't read what it said, just like my mama asked. This was to be between her and Zoe. She read for a few minutes, smiling and crying at different parts until she finally put the letter down.

"Wow, I want to be like that someday. Just such a great person as she was. I know I didn't know her, but I like to think that all of your good qualities come from her."

"They did, that's for sure."

"Now come on, it's our wedding day. And I can't wait to see you in a few hours in a beautiful dress, not giving a shit about your dad." I kissed the top of her head and she smiled.

"You going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I am. I just think the nerves got to me, and the alcohol. I'll be fine." She assured. I got up off the bathroom floor and hugged her.

"I'll see you in a few hours." I winked and she smiled. I left the door and was making my way out. The bridesmaid's toasted to me as I walked by and I couldn't help but feel awkward. Annabeth met me at the door.

"She'll be fine. Lavon's going to walk her down the aisle though." I informed her and she smiled.

"Good, that will make him really happy." She smiled and shut the door behind me. I walked back to the house and undressed. I put my tux on because I was running late now. I looked good though. She said she always loved it when I dressed up.

I made my way over to Lavon's, making sure to avoid any dirt. I walked in the backdoor and saw that it was filled with people. Caterers, florists, bridesmaids, nearly everyone you could think of. It was just about five now, so the girls were upstairs getting their dresses on and the guys were all in the basement. Earl was standing in the kitchen though.

"What're you doing up here?" I asked.

"I just came from seeing your bride. She is a sight for sore eyes buddy. You're a lucky guy."

"I know it." I told him and together we made our way to the basement and all the guys were down there watching a game.

"Wade! My man! It's only a matter of minutes now! How's it feel?" Lavon sprung up form the couch.

"It feels great actually. I'm excited." I said before giving Lavon a weird look because he had a walkie talkie in his hands.

"AB the eagle has landed. I repeat the eagle has landed."

"10/4, all good on the bridal front." The two of them made me laugh.

"I'm going to go check on them, make sure they're ready." Lavon stood up and so did Tucker.

"Wade, you want a drink to calm your nerves?" He asked and I nodded.

"Hell yes." George poured me a drink from the bar and I accepted it. I downed it in a few seconds. I wasn't buzzed or anything, but it helped take the edge off. I wasn't nervous about marrying Zoe, I was nervous about doing it in front of a bunch of people.

Lavon made his way back down the stairs.

"Wade, just you wait, she looks gorgeous." Lavon raved when he got back downstairs.

"That's what everyone keeps saying. I'm just ready to see her already." I said and managed to down a few crackers before it was time to go out.

"AB the eagles are flying, the eagles are flying."

"Roger that Von. Our ETA is 10."

"10/4" We made our way up the stairs and outside where all of the guests were waiting.

"That isn't like some weird sex thing is it?" I tried to joke around to calm my nerves.

"No way man, that'd be messed up." He responded as we waited for our music cue to begin our descent down the aisle.

"Hey man, I gotta go upstairs, but congratulations. I'm so proud of you." Lavon hugged me and then left me in the company of my dad, Jesse, and Tucker.

"You boys ready?" I asked and they nodded. I went around the back and came in through the said of the arbor and stood at the front. My dad took a seat in the front row. I was getting more and more nervous as the minutes seemed to drag by. I was smiling and waved at some of the people who were trying to get my attention in the crowd, but all I could think about was Zoe in that dress.

Gavin DeGraw's _More Than Anyone_ began and I knew this was it. Cassie came first, sprinkling the rose petals over the aisle. I smiled at her and she waved, which only made me smile more. She took a seat next to my dad and Michael.

_You need a friend_

_I'll be around_

_Don't let this end_

_Before I see you again_

_What can I say to convince you _

_To change your mind of me?_

Lemon and George walked arm in arm down the aisle next. I hoped that wasn't awkward for them, but that really wasn't the biggest thing on my mind at the moment. They took their spots on either side of me and George smiled at me.

"She's beautiful Wade, just you wait." George whispered. Jesse came next with Christina on his arm. She looked as happy as ever and when they got to the end of the aisle she gave me a quick hug and whispered in my ear, "You better take care of her." I nodded and smiled.

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

_I'm going to hold you closer than before_

_And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free_

_I'll be free for you anytime_

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

Only one more to go until Zoe. Annabeth came down the aisle by herself, her bouquet of flowers clutched tightly in her hands. She wore a huge smile and already had tears in her eyes.

_Look in my eyes, what do you see?_

_Not just the color_

_Look inside of me_

_Tell me all you need and I will try_

_I will try_

My eyes were glued on the aisle after I smiled at Annabeth, which only made her more teary-eyed. I saw her, but couldn't yet take in the full affect of her dress because everyone stood up, which distracted me.

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

_I'm going to hold you closer than before_

_And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free_

_I'll be free for you anytime_

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

My eyes found her quickly and soon tuned everyone else out. She was amazing, even better than amazing, I just didn't know any words that could express that. Her hair was flowing down her back and her dress was amazing.

_Free for you, whenever you need_

_We'll be free together baby_

_Free together baby_

It was fit at the top, and strapless, but then puffed out at the waist and had a bit of a train trailing behind her. Her eyes found mine and she was smiling, but had tears in her eyes too. I smiled back, one of the biggest smiles I have ever made.

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

_I'm going to hold you closer than before_

_And when I kiss your soul, your body'll be free_

_I'll be free for you anytime_

I covered my mouth with my hands and shook my head. I was in disbelief; this was really happening. I was about to marry the most amazing woman in the world. I mouthed the words 'you're so beautiful' to her and she understood. She blushed and mouthed 'I love you' back. I had tears in my eyes too now. She had that affect on me.

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

_I'm going to love you more than anyone_

She was at the end of the aisle before I knew it, which was both a good thing. I could have watched her walk down that aisle forever, but I was elated that we were finally together.

Lavon kissed her on the cheek and they embraced. He let her go and patted me on the back before assuming his position behind me. Zoe handed her bouquet of white roses to Annabeth and finally turned to face me.

"Hi." She whispered. That one syllable greeting could have put me in a grave form how much it excited me.

"Hi." I whispered back. We joined hands and took a step towards Reverend Mayfair.

"This evening we are all gathered here to celebrate the joining of two lives into one. Together, we have all witnessed Zoe and Wade live their lives separately, from when they were children to now, when they are ready to spend the rest of their lives together. That journey has led them here, to this moment, together. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate their love than to share it with all of us. There are a lot of things I could say to you two today, but instead, I chose to listen." He looked towards Zoe.

"Before I came to Bluebell Wade, I cared about one thing. Me." She started off and that got a laugh out of the crowd. "And I liked it that way on my own, and then I met you and you saw through the façade; you taught me what it truly means to fall in love. I can't possibly tell you how much I love you, so I'll tell you why I love you. You see the world in a way that no one else does. And you appreciate everything, including me. And there's no one in the world like you. You have such a love for life that it is truly appalling sometimes. You've taught me what it means to be young and in love. You've taught me what it means to love someone so much, even when they drive you crazy sometimes. You got to spend ten amazing years with an incredible woman, with whom I could never compare, but I promise you that everyday I will wake up with you on my mind and try to be as amazing of a person like your mother was. I promise to see the world through your eyes and appreciate everything, including you; the most unique, wonderful, and terribly handsome man I've ever met. And I promise to love you until the rest of time." She looked me in the eyes the whole time and the tears were pooling in her eyes again. I was okay now, but I knew once I had to recite her vows I would get emotional.

"Zoe before I met you, I thought my world had everything I needed to be happy. And then you walked into my life and everything changed. I realized how empty my world was without you in it. And my old life was no longer capable of making me happy. Not without you. I love the way you challenge me like no one ever has. I love the way you look at me like no one ever has. And I love the way you love me like no one ever has. I can't imagine spending my life without you. At first, everyone told me that there was no way I was going to get the adorable new doctor in town, but I wasn't going to give up because I knew that there was a future for us. I know that even though I don't deserve you, and I never will, but I promise to strive everyday to prove that to you. I promise to never take you for granted and to always tell you I love you, even when you're ready to rip my head off. I promise to make it my goal in life to make you happy, everyday. I promise to always have your back in a knife fight. And I promise that I will always love everything about you." The tears were coming down her face now and they were swelling in my eyes again.

"Zoe, do you take Wade to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward; for better for worse; for richer for poor; in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" As soon as the words left his mouth I was begging with my eyes to say yes already, but she knew how to tease me. She paused for a second before answering.

"I do."

"An Wade, do you take Zoe to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward; for better for worse; for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." I answered immediately.

"These rings symbolize the bond between these two that will never be broken; their desire to be in one another's hearts for eternity. These rings are a symbol of their love for one another and their desire to always keep each other close, especially in times of need." He said as I collected her ring from Lavon.

"With this ring, I thee wed." She said simply as she slipped it on my finger without even looking. It didn't feel strange or awkward, but it felt like it belonged there.

"With this ring, I thee wed." I recited as I slipped hers onto her small ring finger. She looked down at her finger and then back up at me and smiled.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Alabama, I now pronounce you husband, and wife. Wade, you may kiss your bride."

"It's about damn time." I said before taking her face in both of my hands. I kissed her for a while, it was soft, but powerful. Everyone was cheering when we finally broke apart. They were all standing and we stood there for a few seconds before heading back down the aisle, together this time and for all the times that would follow.


End file.
